GIFT  OF 


CIVIL   ENG.    DEPT, 


ENGINEERING    LIBRARY 
OF 

WILLIAM   B.  STOREY 

A  GRADUATE  OF 

THE   COLLEGE   OF    MECHANICS 
CLASS   OF  1881 

PRESENTED  TO  THE  UNIVERSITY 
1922 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

DEPARTMENT  OF  CIVIL  ENGINEER,,^ 

BERKELEY.  CALIFORNIA 


"  Experience  has  shown — even  if  the  people  soon 
forget  the  lesson— that  any  general  threat  of  arbi- 
trary regulation  of  private  lives  goes  unheeded  until 
too  late.  People  think  it  incredible,  but  it  comes, 
just  as  war,  which  men  believed  could  not  come 
again,  came  with  sudden  destructiveness." 


THE  AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES 


W.  R.  INGALLS 

President 

HENRY  D.  SHARPE 
ALEX.  C.  HUMPHREYS 

Vice-Presidents 


Board  of  Officers,  1920 

WALTER  M.  MCFARLAND 

Treasurer 
LUTHER  D.  BURLINGAME 

Secretary 


Council 


GEO.  M.  BOND 

Specialist  in  Precision  Measurements 

L.  P.  BRECKENRIDGE 

Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering 
Yale  University] 

C.  A.  EARLE 

Vice-President  Willys-Overland  Co. 

J.  E.  FAIRBANKS 

General  Secretary   American    Rail- 
road Association 

FRED.  A.  GEIER 

Prest.   Cincinnati  Milling   Machine 
Co. 

E.  M.  HERR 

Prest.  Westinghouse  Electric  &  Mfg. 

Co. 
Past  Prest.  American  Manufacturers' 

Export  Association 

ALEX.  C.  HUMPHREYS 

Humphreys  &  Miller,  Inc. 
Prest.  Stevens  Institute  of  Technol- 
ogy 

Past   Prest.    Am.    Soc.    Mechanical 
Engineers 

W.  R.  INGALLS 

Consulting  Editor  Engineering  and 
Mining  Journal 

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Soc.  of  America 

JOHN  KIRBY,  JR. 

Prest.  Dayton  Mfg.  Co. 
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of  Manufacturers 

HENRY  M.  LELAND 

Prest.  Lincoln  Motor  Co. 
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gineers 


STEPHEN  C.  MASON 

Secy.  McConway  and  Torley  Co. 
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Manufacturers 

WALTER  M.  MCFARLAND 

Manager  Marine  Dept.  "Babcock  & 
Wilcox  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  PLUNKETT 

Prest.  and  Secy.   Berkshire  Cotton 
Mfg.  Co. 

HENRY  D.  SHARPE 

Treas.  Brown  &  Sharpe  Mfg.  Co. 

STEVENSON  TAYLOR 

Prest.  American  Bureau  of  Shipping 
Past  Prest.  Soc.  of  Naval  Architects 
and  Marine  Engineers 

CHARLES  N.  THORN 

Prest.  Inter-Continental  Machinery 
Corp. 

HENRY  R.  TOWNE 

Chairman    of    the    Board- Yale    & 

Towne  Mfg.  Co. 
Past  Prest.  Merchants  Asso.  of  New 

York 
Past    Prest.    Am.    Soc.    Mechanical 

Engineers 

W.  R.  WARNER 

Vice-Prest.  Warner  &  Swasey  Co. 
Past  Prest.    Am.    Soc.    Mechanical 
Engineers 

W.  H.  VAN  DERVOORT 

Prest.  Root  &  Van  Dervoort  Eng. 

Co. 
Past  Prest.  National  Metal  Trades 

Asso. 
Past  Prest.  Society  of  Automotive 

Engineers 


THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

AN  INVESTIGATION  OF  THE  CLAIMS  MADE  FOR  THE 
METRIC    SYSTEM    AND    ESPECIALLY    OF    THE 
CLAIM  THAT  ITS  ADOPTION  IS  NECES- 
SARY IN   THE    INTEREST  OF 
EXPORT    TRADE 


BY 
FREDERICK  A.  HALSEY 

COMMISSIONED 

OF    THE 

AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES 


SECOND  EDITION 


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place  nor  applause;  she  only  asks  a  hearing." 


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POSTAGE    PAID 


NEW  YORK 

THE  AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES 

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Engineering 
Library 


COPYRIGHT,  1904,  BY  D.  VAN  NOSTEAND  COMPANY 
COPYRIGHT,  1919,  BY  FREDERICK  A.  HALSEY 


THK  M;API>K 


PREFACE 

The  argument  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  is  based  upon  the 
tacit  assumption  that  it  is  a  simple  matter  for  a  country  to  change  its 
weights  and  measures.  Once  one  has  accepted  that  assumption,  it  is 
but  a  short  step  to  the  conclusion  that  those  countries  which  have  made 
the  experiment  have  succeeded,  and  then  another  short  step  to  the  con- 
clusion that  we  can  succeed. 

The  question  of  the  ease  or  the  difficulty  of  a  change  in  the  prevailing 
system  is,  clearly,  one,  not  of  belief,  but  of  fact.  The  fathers  of  the 
metric  system  may  be  excused  for  holding  this  belief  since  they  had  no 
experience  to  guide  them,  but  the  world  has  now  a  century  and  a  quarter 
of  experience  behind  it  and  the  time  has  come  to  consult  the  facts. 
Nearly  twenty  years  of  investigation  of  weights  and  measures  as  used 
in  industry  and  commerce  throughout  the  world  and  recorded  herein 
have  demonstrated  that  this  change  of  practice  is  of  such  difficulty  that 
in  no  country  is  it  complete  while,  in  most  of  them,  it  is  a  grotesque 
failure. 

The  arguments  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  are,  furthermore, 
based  on  the  tacit  assumption  that  the  old  units  will  disappear.  The  re- 
searches recorded  in  these  pages  show  that  what  is  commonly  called  the 
adoption  of  the  system  is,  in  reality,  nothing  more  than  its  introduction. 
The  continued  use  of  the  old  units  along  with  the  new  can  be  explained 
in  two  ways — that  the  advantages  of  the  metric  system  are  not  found  to 
be  such  as  to  justify  its  adoption  or  that  the  difficulties  of  the  change  are 
so  great  as  to  make  it  impossible.  Both  are  correct,  but  either  is  fatal 
to  the  metric  case,  for  under  these  conditions  the  arguments  for  the  adop- 
tion of  the  system  are  not  only  destroyed  but  inverted. 

Thus,  the  argument  for  a  uniform  world  system  disappears  in  the 
face  of  the  fact  that  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  has  in  no  country 
brought  about  a  uniform  system  in  domestic  affairs.  Similarly,  the  argu- 
ment for  the  adoption  of  the  system  in  order  to  do  away  with  confusion  is 
inverted  by  the  fact  that  such  " adoption"  has  only  brought  about  con- 
fusion. Again,  the  argument  for  economy  of  time  in  primary  education 
is  nullified  and  inverted  by  the  fact  that  the  " adoption"  of  the  system 
has  increased  and  not  diminished  the  work  of  school  children.  Still 
again,  the  argument  that  the  adoption  of  the  system  leads  to  a  saving  of 
time  in  calculations  is  negatived  and  inverted  by  the  fact  that  the  con- 
tinued use  of  the  old  system  involves  the  addition  of  calculations  for  con- 
version between  the  old  and  the  new,  while  the  argument  for  fewer  and 

iii 

506578 


iv  PREFACE 

simpler  ratios  between  units  disappears  when  we  consider  that  a  dual 
system  introduces  far  more  and  far  worse  ratios  between  old  and  new 
units  than  those  that  now  obtain. 

The  following  pages  show  that  for  many  purposes  the  change  is  im- 
possible and  that  the  effect  of  the  so-called  adoption  of  the  system  has 
always  been  the  introduction  of  a  dual  standard  with  results  the  exact 
opposite  of  those  intended — complexity  instead  of  simplicity,  confusion 
instead  of  order,  diversity  instead  of  uniformity.  These  results  have 
nowhere  been  better  presented  than  in  The  Evolution  of  Weights  and 
Measures  and  The  Metric  System  by  Professors  Hallock  &  Wade — a 
book  written  to  promote  the  adoption  of  the  system  and  regarded  by 
the  metric  party  as  a  conclusive  showing  of  the  advantages  of  such  adop- 
tion. From  this  book,  page  170,  we  quote  as  follows: 

"We  are  forced  to  consider  a  still  more  serious  difficulty,  namely  the 
growth  of  a  dual  system  due  to  the  increased  use  of  the  metric  system  as 
permitted  by  statute.  .  .  .  Both  systems  being  legal  and  the  metric 
measures  coming  into  more  widespread  use,  there  would  result  the  per- 
petual necessity  of  converting  from  one  to  the  other  in  commercial  trans- 
actions, and,  while  the  nation  was  waiting  for  the  ultimate  survival  of  the 
fittest  system,  or  the  birth  of  an  ideal  scheme,  incalculable  inconvenience 
and  damage  would  ensue  as  has  been  shown  many  times  in  the  past." 

The  case  against  the  adoption  of  the  system  is  summed  up  in  the  state- 
ment that  the  problem  does  not  lie  in  the  introduction  of  the  metric 
units,  but  in  getting  rid  of  the  English  units.  In  none  of  the  so-called 
metric  countries  have  the  old  units  disappeared.  Their  experience  is  a 
guide — the  only  guide  we  have — and,  applying  it  to  our  'own  case,  the 
manner  in  which  the  argument  for  the  simplification  of  our  weights  and 
measures  and  of  the  ratios  between  units  is  bound  up  with  the'  disappear- 
ance of  the  English  units  and  inverted  by  their  comtinued  use  is  best  shown 
by  a  few  examples.  With  the  continued  use  of  the  English  units  such 
ratios  as  the  following  will  be  added  to  those  we  now  have: 

25.4      millimeters  make  1  inch 

6.452  sq.  centimeters  make  1  sq.  inch 

3.281  feet  make  1  meter 

10.724  sq.  feet  make  1  sq.  meter 

1.609  kilometers  make  1  mile 

2.59    sq.  kilometers  make  1  sq.  mile 

2.205  pounds  make  1  kilogram 

28.35    grams  make  1  ounce 

2.471  acres  make  1  hectare 

For  additional  examples,  without  limit,  the  reader  is  referred  to  any 
engineers'  reference  book,  or  to  the  publications  of  the  Bureau  of 
Standards. 


PREFACE  ,  V 

With  the  argument  for  the  simplification  of  ratios,  there  goes  its 
companion  for  the  reduction  in  the  number  of  units,  which  falls  to  the 
ground  if  the  new  units  are  merely  to  be  added  to  the  old.  Clearly,  we 
cannot  expect  the  result  of  subtraction  from  the  process  of  addition. 

There  is  no  phase  or  feature  of  the  metric  argument  that  is  not  de- 
stroyed and  inverted  by  the  continued  use  of  old  units  in  metric  countries, 
and  the  confusion  and  complexities  that  result  therefrom. 

The  facts  here  assembled  show  that  the  metric  system  is  a  will-o'-the- 
wisp  which  the  nations  of  theworld  are  always  chasing  but  never  catching, 
and  that  it  leads  nowhere  but  into  a  quagmire  of  confusion  and  disorder. 
Shall  we  take  warning  from  the  experience  of  others,  or  shall  we  jump 
headlong  into  this  bottomless  morass?  Shall  we  insist  on  learning  from 
our  own  experience,  or  will  we  learn  from  the  mistakes  of  others? 

Chapters  IX,  XVIII,  XXIII  and  XXIV  are  by  my  cordial  co-worker 
in  these  investigations  for  nearly  twenty  years,  Mr.  Samuel  S.  Dale. 

Attention  is  especially  called  to  the  first  three  paragraphs  of  Appendix  I. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 
PREFACE .    .     iii 

CHAPTER  I 
The  Metric  System  in  France 4 

CHAPTER  II 
The  Metric  System  in  Latin  America 4 

CHAPTER  III 
The  Metric  System  in  Export  Trade .    ,    .    . 34 

CHAPTER  IV 

Confirmations  of  these  Findings    .    .    ...   .    .   .    .    ...    . 73 

CHAPTER  V 
All  Metric  Arguments  Destroyed 77 

CHAPTER  VI 
The  Metric  System  in  Great  Britain    . 80 

CHAPTER  VII 
Is  the  Metric  System  Better  than  Others?  .................     83 

CHAPTER  VIII 
"  Simplifying  "  our  Weights  and  Measures 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  Metric  System  in  Every  Day  Life .    '. '. 90 

CHAPTER  X 


The  Metric  System  in  Primary  Education  . 

vii 


viii  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XI 

PAGE 
Learning  the  Metric  System .  .    .     97 

CHAPTER  XII 
The  Metric  System  in  Manufacturing .   102 

CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Metric  System  in  Engineering , 108 

CHAPTER  XIV 
The  Metric  System  and  the  Scientist 108 

CHAPTER  XV 

The  Metric  Equivalent  Scheme .    . .  >    .•      .    .   110 

CHAPTER  XVI 

The  Metric  System  and  the  Saving  of  Time  in  Calculations 115 

CHAPTER  XVII 
The  Metric  System  and  the  English  Language  . 120 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
Our  English  Weights  and  Measures 121 

CHAPTER  XIX 
The  Decimalization  of  Weights  and  Measures 126 

CHAPTER  XX 
Specimen  Flights  of  the  Metric  Imagination 128 

CHAPTER  XXI 
The  Story  of  the  Berry  Baskets 133 

CHAPTER  XXII 

The  "Metric"   Carat  .  .  135 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  ix 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

PAGE 
The  World  Trade  Club 137 

^CHAPTER  XXIV 

The  Metric  System  and  the  Valve  World 144 

CHAPTER  XXV 

A  Rational  Weights  and  Measures  Program 150 

APPENDIX  I 

The  Character  and  Standing  of  the  Opponents  of  the  Metric  System  with  some 

of  Their  Condemnations  of  It 153 

APPENDIX  II 

Names  and  Addresses  of  Those  who  Supplied  the  Returned  Questionnaires  Sum- 
marized in  Chapter  II 191 

APPENDIX  III 

Names  and  Addresses  of  Those  who  Supplied  the  Returned  Questionnaires  Sum- 
marized in  Chapter  III 194 


THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  FRANCE 

The  metric  system  was  adopted  in  France  by  a  compulsory  law  of  the 
most  drastic  character  in  1793.  That  law  remained  in  force  for  nineteen 
years,  or  until  1812  when,  under  Napoleon  who  had  no  faith  in  the  system, 
the  law  was  repealed  and  the  people  were  permitted  to  resume  the  use 
of  their  old  measures  which  soon  received  the  official  title  the  Systeme 
Usuelle — a  name  which,  in  two  words,  tells  the  whole  story.  Under 
relaxed  laws,  the  French  people  immediately  reverted  to  that  truly 
universal  system  in  which  twelve  inches  make  a  foot,  three  feet 
make  a  yard,  and  sixteen  ounces  make  a  pound  and  this  practice 
continued  for  twenty-five  years,  or  until  1837  when  the  metric  force 
laws  were  reimposed,1  and  they  have  been  continued  in  force  until  the 
present  day. 

Why  did  the  French  people  revert  to  their  old  system  as  soon  as  they 
were  given  the  opportunity?  Are  not  nineteen  years  of  enforced  use 
sufficient  to  demonstrate  the  advantages  of  the  metric  system  if  such  ad- 
vantages exist?  What  explanation  of  this  experience  is  possible  except 
that  the  French  people  found  the  old  system  better  than  the  new  for  the 
uses  to  which  a  system  of  weights  and  measures  is  applied?  What  other 
explanation  is  possible  of  the  general  persistence  of  the  Spanish  system  in 
Latin  America  after  more  than  a  half  century  of  tutelage?  Is  it  not 
clear  that  the  people  everywhere  do  not  like  the  metric  system  because 
they  find  it  inferior  to  the  older  system  for  the  purposes  of  everyday  life? 

The  Effect  of  Existing  Laws 

The  effect  of  the  reimposition  of  the  metric  system  in  France  in 
1837  is  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  an  official  circular  letter 
addressed  to  local  French  Chambers  of  Commerce  in  1906  by  the 

1  With,  however,  the  omission  of  the  decimal  divisions  of  the  year,  of  the  day, 
and  of  the  circle.  What  is  now  called  the  metric  system  is  but  a  fragment  of  that 
system  as  devised  and  understood  by  its  promoters,  and  for  the  discontinued  parts, 
the  argument  is  just  as  good — and  just  as  bad — as  for  the  parts  which  are  still  used 

1 


2  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

then:  French,  Minister  of  Commerce,  Industry  and  Labor,  M.  Gaston 
Doumergue:1 

"  My  department  at  different  times  has  been  called  upon  to  give  to  the  Department 
of  Weights  and  Measures  instructions  for  accomplishing  the  total  suppression  of  the 
measures  and  weights  prohibited  by  the  old  law  of  July  4,  1837,  by  the  seizure  of  the 
prohibited  articles.  The  department  in  spite  of  all  such  efforts  has  not  succeeded  in 
attaining  the  desired  result.  The  situation  appears  to  be  due  to  the  persistence  with 
which  certain  trades  continue  to  use  the  prohibited  weights  and  measures. 

"  I  have  learned  that  in  certain  industries  the  advertisements,  prospectuses,  cata- 
logs, etc.,  used  by  the  merchants  among  themselves  and  also  for  sending  to  their 
customers  contain  the  illegal  expressions.  The  merchants  will  invoke,  without  doubt, 
the  necessity  under  which  they  find  themselves  not  to  change  the  existing  order  of 
things  for  fear  that  thereby  they  may  lose  orders  for  their  goods.  They  thus  con- 
tinue to  designate  in  lignes  and  inches  all  the  articles  they  sell. 

"  I  do  not  consider  it  worth  while  to  enumerate  here  the  industries  and  professions 
which  have  continued  to  employ  the  proscribed  standards,  but  they  are  still  numerous 
and  most  of  them  known  to  members  of  your  organization." 

The  letter  concludes  with  an  appeal  to  the  chambers  of  commerce  to 
use  their  influence  to  bring  about  a  renunciation  of  this  illegal  practice. 
Along  with  this  should  go  the  following  from  the  reply  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  at  Amiens: 

"  The  Chamber  considers  that,  in  view  of  the  customs  adopted  by  certain  traders, 
it  seems  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  arrive  at  a  complete  suppression  of  the  actual 
conditions;  that,  moreover,  such  a  radical  and  immediate  suppression  would  cause 
profound  disturbance  in  many  industries." 

"Such  a  radical  and  immediate  suppression  would  cause  profound 
disturbance  in  many  industries" — and  this  at  the  end  of  112  years  of 
effort  and  of  70  years  of  compulsory  law! 

Note  especially  that  it  is  in  manufacturing  industry  that  the  old  units 
are  anchored.  Reflect  that,  when  the  system  was  adopted  in  France, 
modern  organized  manufacture  had  scarcely  begun;  and,  remembering 
that  112  years,  backed  by  national  pride  of  achievement,  were  found  to  be 
insufficient  to  complete  the  change  under  those  conditions,  the  reader 
should  ask  himself  how  many  years  will  be  required  for  the  change  begun 
under  the  present  conditions  of  organized  manufacture. 

An  Example 

Light  is  thrown  upon  "the  industries  and  professions  which,"  ac- 
cording to  M.  Doumergue.  "have  continued  to  employ  the  proscribed 
standards,"  by  the  following  quotation  from  the  leading  French  textile 
journal  L' Industrie  Textile,  published  110  years  after  the  adoption  of  the 
metric  system  in  France. 

1The  author  has  in  his  possession  an  official  copy  of  this  circular  letter  in  the 
original  French. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  r 

"  It  is  absolutely  unworthy  of  us  French  who'vrafc  in«.fir£t  ki-TBiid  ftnlliipiily  the 
metric  system  to  retain  the  aune  and  the  denier  for  measuring  silk.  Ah!  these  Ameri- 
cans are  not  considerate  of  our  feelings  and  they  are  right.  We  are  as  much  in  the 
anarchy  of  weights  and  measures  for  the  textile  industry  as  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, for  we  have  the  denier  of  Montpelier  and  of  Milan,  for  silk,  with  the  aune  as  a 
unit  of  length.  We  still  have  the  diverse  standards  of  Roubaix,  Fourmies  and  Reims 
for  worsted,  the  moque  of  Sedan,  the  livre,  the  quart  and  the  sows  of  Elboeuf,  the  yard 
for  linen,  etc.  Ah!  the  famous  aune,  do  you  know  its  equivalent?  Exactly  3  feet 
7  inches  10  lines  and  10  points,  or  in  other  words  1.188447  metres,  the  foot  being  equal 
to  .324839  metres  and  divided  into  12  inches,  the  inch  into  12  lines  and  the  line  into 
12  points.  [The  foot  and  inch  referred  to  here  are  the  French  foot  and  inch.] 

"And  this  is  the  reason  why  they  are  right  in  mocking  us  when  they  say  we  do 
not  use  the  metric  system  for  numbering  yarn  and  for  weaving  calculations.  Nothing 
is  more  arbitrary  than  to  reckon  the  yarn  by  the  thousand  metres  and  the  width  of 
the  cloth  and  the  picks  of  the  filling  by  the  inch.  It  is  nonsense  and  a  derision.  Note 
also  that,  while  I  speak  here  only  of  France,  I  could  say  as  much  of  all  Europe." 

The  above  is  but  a  small  portion  of  the  evidence  we  have  regarding 
the  continued  use  of  old  units  in  Fiance  but  we  judge  it  to  be  sufficient. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA 

The  inquiry  of  which  this  chapter  is  a  report  was  conducted  through 
a  questionnaire  of  which  about  500  copies  were  distributed  throughout 
South  and  Central  America  and  the  West  Indies.  In  order  to  secure 
representative  and  impartial  distribution,  outside  agencies  were  enlisted 
in  the  work,  the  printed  blanks  being  sent  to  their  branches  and  corre- 
spondents by  the  National  City  Bank,  the  United  Fruit  Company, 
W.  R.  Grace  and  Company,  and  the  Hill  Publishing  Company.  Addi- 
tional copies  were  sent  out  by  the  author  to  names  taken  from  a  commer- 
cial list  obtained  from  the  United  Fruit  Company  and  to  United  States 
consuls. 

The  questionnaire  as  drawn  up  in  English  will  be  found  in  the  Appen- 
dix to  this  chapter,  together  with  the  form  letter  which  accompanied  it. 
The  actual  printed  forms  sent  out  were  translated  into  Spanish  and 
Portuguese,  in  which  languages  most  of  the  replies  came  back.  The 
information  given  herein  is  not,  however,  limited  to  that  obtained  through 
the  questionnaires  as  various  citations  in  the  text  point  out.  In  all 
cases  quotations  without  names  attached  are  from  the  questionnaires. 

SPANISH   AND    PORTUGUESE    WEIGHTS   AND    MEASURES 

As  many  readers  are  not  acquainted  with  Spanish  weights  and  meas- 
ures, tables  of  the  more  common  units  and  their  relations  are  here  given. 
The  translation  of  the  Spanish  names  is  almost  self-apparent,  but  the 
following  are  given: 

Onza  Ounce  Pulgada  Inch 

Libra  Pound  Pie  Foot 

Tonelada  Ton  Vara  Yard 

Cuartillo  Quart 

The  Portuguese  names  are  so  similar  that  their  meanings  will  be 
apparent. 

4 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LAtltf     MERICA  J  5 

SPANISH  WEIGHTS  AND.MEASUftfefik-  :  '-.  :  '<  LA 
WEIGHT 

16  onzas  =  1  libra 

25  libras  =  1  arroba 

4  arrobas  =  1  quintal 

20  quintales  =  1  tonelada 

DRY  MEASURE 

4  cuartillos    =  1  celemin   • 
12  celemins     =  1  fanega 
12  fanegas       =  1  cahiz 

LIQUID  MEASURE 

4  cuartillos    =  1  azumbre 
8  azumbres    =  1  cantara 
16  cantaras     =  1  moyo 

LENGTH 

12  pulgadas     =  1  pie 
3  pies  =  1  vara 

UNIFICATION    OF    ENGLISH    AND    SPANISH    WEIGHTS    AND    MEASURES 

With  slight  differences  in  the  values  of  the  units,  this  system  is  sub- 
stantially identical  with  our  own.  With  suitable  foresight  and  effort 
the  two  might  have  been  unified  long  ago. 

The  chief  difficulty  in  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  Latin 
America  has  been  and  is  the  psychological  difficulty — that  is,  learning  to 
think  or  visualize  values  in  strange  units.  In  this  sense  the  difficulty  of 
adopting  the  English  values  of  the  units  would  have  been  nil  for  there 
would  have  been  too  little  change  in  values  to  cause  confusion  of  thought, 
while  in  names  there  would  have  been  none. 

Meanwhile  the  still  greater  difficulty  in  our  own  case — the  physical 
difficulty  due  to  the  anchorage  of  units  in  standardized  manufacture — 
was  and  is  absent  in  Latin  America  where  but  little  manufacturing  is 
done.  The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  adopting  the  English  values  of  the 
units  thus  were  and  are  trifling  in  comparison  with  those  in  the  way  of 
adopting  the  metric  units.  Moreover,  the  process  would  have  been  one 
of  subtraction,  two  sets  of  values  being  reduced  to  one,  and,  internationally 
considered,  several  sets  of  values  reduced  to  one,  for  the  Spanish  units 
have  slight  and  annoying  differences  of  value  in  different  countries.  The 
" adoption"  of  the  metric  system,  on  the  other  hand,  has  been  one  of 
addition,  another  set  of  units  being  added  to  those  already  existing. 

The  ease  with  which  the  English  values  of  the  units  might  have  been 
adopted  is  shown  by  these  reports  of  the  progress  they  have  made.  With 
no  trace  of  compulsion  or  even  governmental  recognition,  they  have  come 
into  large  use  by  the  operation  of  the  forces  of  trade  and  commerce  and  by 


6 


METRIC  FALLACY 


simple  ^(&eptanee,  whereafeH'ke  metric  units  have  nowhere  made  progress 
except  by  compulsion. 

The  remaining  question  is:  Is  it  too  late?  Except  for  units  for  land 
measure,  which,  once  established,  should  be  let  alone,  I  think  not,  for 
conditions  have  not  materially  changed  in  Latin  America.  It  must  be 
apparent  there,  as  this  inquiry  makes  it  here,  that  the  attempt  to  adopt 
the  metric  system  is  a  failure.  The  weights  and  measures  of  Latin 
America  are  in  a  state  of  chaos,  for  which  a  remedy  is  sorely  needed. 
Were  they  to  dismiss  the  intruder  and  retain  the  old  historic  names  with 
changes  in  values  which  are  so  slight  as  to  be  inrppreciable  for  most  pur- 
poses, Pan -Americanism  in  this  important  field  would  become  an  accom- 
plished fact,  and  the  unification  of  the  weights  and  measures  of  North  and 
South  America  with  those  of  the  British  Empire  would  be  within  sight. 

It  is  especially  to  be  noted  that  until  about  the  beginning  of  the  pres- 
ent century  there  were  few,  if  any,  compulsory  metric  laws  in  Spanish 
America.  The  system  had  been  " adopted"  in  many  of  those  countries 
as  the  official  system,  and  used  chiefly  for  customs  purposes  a  ad  railway 
tariffs,  but  the  people  continued  to  use  the  old  measures  without  molesta- 
tion. The  change  in  the  intervening  years  is  due  to  Gei man  influence  and 
for  German  purposes.  If,  as  seems  certain,  German  influence  in  Spanish 
America  is  to  suffer  an  eclipse,  is  it  too  much  to  hope  that  the  future  may 
see  the  unification  of  the  weights  and  measures  of  North  and  South 
America  and  the  British  Empire  on  the  foundation  of  the  system  which, 
in  its  basic  and  historic  features,  is  common  to* all? 

Meanwhile  we  have  an  important  lesson  to  learn  from  Latin  America. 
A  glance  through  these  reports  will  reveal  the  common  practice  of  selling 
grain  and  other  farm  products  at  wholesale  by  weight,  the  arroba  and  the 
quintal  being  favorite  units. 

Our  clumsy  efforts  to  connect  the  bushel  and  pound  through  con- 
version factors  are  the  cause  of  much  confusion1  which  would  disappear 
were  we  to  copy  this  practice,  and,  incidentally,  deprive  the  metricites 
of  a  false  argument  which  is  on  all  their  lips,  and  which  the  unthinking 
know  no  better  than  to  accept.  The  unit  for  this  purpose  should  be  the 
quintal  of  100  Ib. — a  name  which  is  preferable  to  hundredweight  as  it 
avoids  confusion  with  the  British  hundredweight  of  112  Ib. 

GENERAL   ANALYSIS    OF   RESULTS 

The  effort  to  learn  the  relative  usage  of  the  different  systems  has  not 
been  successful.  When  one  return  gives  exclusive  use  of  the  metric 

1  It  should  be  noted  that  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  would  not  do  away 
with  this  confusion  since  wheat,  corn,  rye,  etc.,  do  not  weigh  the  same  per  decaliter 
any  more  than  they  do  per  bushel.  The  sale  of  these  and  similar  commodities  by 
weight  is  the  simple  and  sufficient  method  of  abolishing  all  the  confusion  now  expe- 
rienced in  this  branch  of  trade. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  7 

system  for  a  given  purpose  and  another  -exclusive;  use.bf  "Jtht£  Spanish 
system  for  the  same  purpose,  .discrimination  is  impossible.  The  thing 
here  proven  is  that  the  claim  that  Latin  America  is  metric  is  false,  as 
are  all  arguments  based  upon  it.  In  particular,  it  should  be  noted  that 
the  order  in  which  the  units  are  herein  named  has  no  significance. 

In  but  one  of  the  countries  investigated  (Uruguay,  which  see  below) 
can  the  metric  system  be  said  to  be  adopted  for  domestic  ti  ade,  while  from 
Uruguay  we  have  such  reports  as  these: 

Lumber  and  timber:  " Officially  the  meter,  customarily  per  thousand 
feet, "  By  carpenters  and  other  woodworkers;  " English  foot  and  inch 
generally  used."  In  machine  shops :  ''Officially  the  meter  and  multiples, 
practically,  following  the  custom,  the  English  inch."  Sizes  of  pipes  for 
gas,  water,  sewers,  etc:  ''Officially  the  meter,  practically  the  pulgada." 
(Pulgada  is  the  Spanish  name  for  inch.)  Marine  measurements: 
"Officially  the  kilometer,  to  a  large  extent  the  marine  mile."  "In 
practice  there  is  no  effort  to  abolish  completely  the  English  measures.'7 

In  other  Latin  American  countries  the  adoption  of  the  system  is 
much  less  complete  than  in  Uruguay  but,  nevertheless,  in  twelve  of  these 
twenty  countries  according  to  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,1 
the  system  is  "  obligatory. " 

In  ten  of  these  countries  (apart  from  the  railroads  and  other  fields 
under  immediate  government  control)  the  metric  system  has  made  very 
little  impression.  (Nicaragua,  Guatemala,  Spanish  Honduras,  Cuba, 
Panama,  Colombia,  Porto  Rico,2  San  Salvador,  Ecuador,  and  Costa 
Rica,  which  see  below.) 

Of  these  ten  countries,  according  to  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of 
Standards,  the  metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  seven.1  In  five  of  them 
(Cuba,  Colombia,  Porto  Rico,  Panama,  and  Spanish  Honduras,  which  see 
below)  the  English  units  are  used  far  more  than  the  metric,  having  largely 
supplanted  all  others,  although  in  three  of  them  according  to  the  Director 
of  the  Bureau  of  Standards  the  metric  system  is  "obligatory."1  Not 
only  has  the  English  pound  come  into  large  use,  but  the  arroba  and  quin- 
tal have  been  adjusted  in  value  to  make  them  equal  to  25  and  100  English 
pounds,  respectively.  In  substantially  all  of  the  countries  investigated 
the  English  inch  is  used  for  mechanical  purposes,  as  the  English  nautical 
units  are  used  for  navigation  and  sea  shipments.  That  most  derided  of 
English  units — the  nautical  mile — is  used  by  all  countries  that  sail  the 
seas  and  they  use  no  other.  The  kilometer  is  an  unknown  measure  at  sea. 

1  See  the  Metric  System  in  Export  Trade  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Stand- 
ards, page  17;  Senate  Document  No.  241,  Government  Printing  Office,  1916. 

2  Porto  Rico  is  always  claimed  by  the  metricites  to  be  metric.     Thus,  according 
to  Mr.  Fred  R.  Drake,  Chairman  Executive  Committee,  American  Metric  Association, 
"The  meter,  liter  and  gram  continue  to  prove  most  satisfactory  in  official  and  general 
use  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  Porto  Rico  and  other  United  States  possessions. 


8 


:-"  .THE  METRIC  FALLACY 


'the.  impression  made  is  in  direct  relation  to  the  severity 
of  the  laws,  of  which  we  have  the  climax  in  Uruguay  (see  Uruguay  below), 
with  Venezuela  and  Argentina  not  far  behind.  In  all  cases  the  movement 
was  begun  with  mild  laws  under  the  impression  that  the  adoption  of  the 
system  was  a  simple  and  easy  thing  to  bring  about.  Such  laws  failing, 
more  drastic  ones  followed,  but  even  these  have  been  but  partially  effect- 
ive. The  greatest  progress  has  been  made  in  the  field  of  domestic  re- 
tail trade,  in  which  weights  and  measures  are  under  the  immediate  eye  of 
officers  of  the  law. 

It  is  this  field  which  comes  under  the  observation  of  tourists.  One 
may  tour  through,  or,  for  that  matter,  live  in  a  country  for  many  years, 
in  many  walks  of  life,  and  experience  but  little  contact  with  weights  and 
measures  outside  the  field  of  retail  trade,  and  we  thus  see  why  the  reports 
of  tourists  are  more  favorable  to  the  metric  system  than  the  facts  justify, 
as  we  also  see  why  the  observations  of  tourists,  in  a  comprehensive  sense, 
have  very  limited  value. 

The  further  we  get  from  the  field  of  retail  trade,  the  less  is  the  system 
used.  In  this  field  the  progress  is  chiefly  with  units  of  weight  and  ca- 
pacity, the  measure  of  length  for  the  sale  of  drygoods  being  commonly 
the  vara,  while  imported  wearing  apparel  of  all  kinds  is  commonly  sold  by 
the  units  of  the  country  of  its  origin,  by  the  inch  at  least  as  much  as  the 
centimeter,  and  domestic  products  are  frequently  made  to  numbered 
sizes,  of  which  the  relation  to  any  system  of  units  is  not  apparent.  They 
are  not  metiic. 

In  primary  or  wholesale  markets  the  old  measures  prevail,  although 
these,  in  some  cases,  have  been  adjusted  in  value  to  make  them  even  mul- 
tiples of  English  basic  units.  We  have  here  perfect  examples  of  the 
simple  process  of  unification  of  English  and  Spanish  measures  which,  with 
proper  encouragement,  might  by  this  time  have  become  substantially 
universal. 

Lumber  and  timber  are  almost  universally  sawn  to  the  inch,  although 
frequently  mixed  with  the  vara  or  the  meter  for  length,  and  the  square 
and  cubic  meter  as  sales  units,  prices  being  made  at  so  much  per  square 
or  cubic  meter  for  one-inch  boards. 

In  the  mechanical  trades  tailors  and  seamstresses  use  all  three  sys- 
tems, as  do  stone  and  brick  masons,  while  carpenters  commonly  use  the 
pulgada  or  inch.  In  machine  shops  both  English  and  metric  units  are 
used,  depending  chiefly  on  the  country  of  origin  of  the  machines  they  have 
to  repair.  The  inch  is  predominant. 

In  this  connection  we  have  the  report  of  the  Cleveland  Twist  Drill 
Company  that  shipments  of  their  tools  to  South  America  are  "95  per 
cent  to  100  per  cent  English,"  and  of  the  Detroit  Twist  Drill  Company 
that  "All  of  our  South  American  customers  use  more  English  sizes  than 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  9 

metric."  Needless  to  say,  English-sized  twist  drills  are  bought  in  order 
to  make  English-sized  holes,  for  they  will  make  no  other. 

In  ship  and  boat  building,  also,  the  English  units  find  large  use,  while 
in  mining  and  smelting  we  find  a  miscellaneous  mixture  of  all  three 
systems. 

The  persistence  of  old  units  is  most  pronounced  in  the  measurement 
of  land.  When  units  of  measure  are  once  anchored  in  titles  to  real  es- 
tate, they  are  there  to  stay.  Of  this  we  have  perfect  examples  in  the  use 
of  the  French  arpent  in  Louisiana  and  the  Spanish  vara  in  Texas,  in  which 
states  those  units  are  today  the  common  units  of  land  measure.  Another 
example  is  found  in  France,  where,  in  some  sections,  the  old  units  of  land 
measure  are  still  predominant. 

When  outlying  districts  are  incorporated  within  city  limits,  parcels 
of  land  are  much  reduced  in  size  and  smaller  units  come  in.  This  gives 
an  opportunity  for  the  introduction  of  the  metric  system,  but  with  the 
result  that,  in  the  older  portions  of  the  town,  the  old  units  are  used,  while 
in  the  newer  portions  we  find  the  new  ones. 

Similarly,  initial  surveys  of  the  hinterland  give  an  opportunity  for 
the  use  of  new  units,  but  again  with  the  result  that  the  older  portions  of 
the  country  are  measured  in  one  set  of  units  and  the  newer  in  another. 

In  Uruguay,  where  the  laws  are  more  severe  and  more  rigidly  enforced 
than  in  any  other  country,  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  authorize  the 
use  of  old  units  for  the  measurement  of  land  (see  Uruguay  below), 
while  in  other  countries  the  laws,  in  this  application,  are  quietly  ignored. 
This  is  the  more  significant  because  all  transfers  of  real  estate,  as  matters 
of  public  record,  come  before  the  eyes  of  officers  of  the  law.  In  other 
countries,  again,  the  purchase  and  sale  are  made  in  Spanish  units  and 
the  day  is  then  saved  by  inserting  metric  equivalents  in  the  documents 
of  record. 

In  marine  measurements  and  sea  shipments  the  English  system  is 
used  everywhere,  although  mixed  with  metric  units,  especially  for  inland 
navigation. 

Classified  in  another  way,  the  most-used  metric  units  are  those  of 
capacity.  Next  come  those  of  weight,  and,  trailing  far  in  the  rear,  those 
of  length  and  their  correlatives  of  area.  This  is  in  accordance  with  a  law 
which  long  ago  made  itself  apparent. 

THE    REASON     WHY     COMPULSORY    METRIC    LAWS    FAIL 

A  few  words  in  explanation  of  the  failure  of  even  drastic  laws  for  the 
adoption  of  the  metric  system  are  here  appropriate.  Such  laws  fail  be- 
cause established  and  harmless  practice  cannot,  except  in  a  technical 
sense,  be  made  a  crime.  Fancy  an  American  grocer  arrested,  haled  to 
court,  fined,  and  even  s_ent  to  jail  for  selling  sugar  by  the  pound — a  thing 


10  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

that  has  been  done  since  the  Pilgrim  fathers  landed  at  Plymouth  Rock. 
And  yet  this  is  exactly  what  they  do  in  Uruguay.  Place  a  meter  and  a 
yardstick  alongside.  They  differ  in  value  by  about  10  per  cent.  Is  it 
conceivable  that  selling  by  one  can  be  made  a  virtue  and  by  the  other  a 
crime?  Fancy  an  American  jury  convicting  a  merchant  of  a  crime  for 
selling  drygoods  by  the  yard!  And  yet  this  is  precisely  the  meaning  of 
compulsory  laws. 

It  is  a  truism  of  law  that  excessive  penalties  cannot  be  enforced  and 
so  defeat  themselves,  and  is  it  not  clear  that  compulsory  metric  laws  in 
any  country  in  which  the  people  have  rights  are  unenforceable,  and  that 
the  more  drastic  they  are,  the  more  unenforceable  they  become?  And 
is  it  not  equally  clear  that  such  laws  invite  oppression  and  hardship  at 
the  hands  of  an  enthusiastic  bureaucrat  such  as  we  are  rapidly  placing 
in  power  at  Washington? 

TREATMENT    OF    GENERAL    AND     OBSCURE    REPLIES 

In  the  following  summary,  Spanish  and  Portuguese  names  are  used 
for  Spanish  and  Portuguese,  and  English  names  for  English,  units.  In 
a  few  cases  returned  questionnaires  in  English  have  used  the  word  pound 
when  those  in  Spanish  from  the  same  countries  have  used  libra.  In 
such  cases,  pound  has  been  taken  as  meaning  libra.  Again,  pulgada  or 
pollegada  has  been  used  for  commodities  (e.g.,  pipe)  which  are  obtained 
from  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  and  in  such  cases  those 
words  have  been  understood  to  mean  inch. 

The  English  inch  is  used  so  much  in  Latin  America  that  in  these  re- 
ports it  is  sometimes  called  the  pulgada  without  qualification.  This,  in 
a  few  cases,  has  made  it  impossible  to  distinguish  with  certainty  between 
the  pulgada  and  the  inch.  The  same  condition  and  remark  apply,  al- 
though to  a  smaller  degree,  to  the  libra  and  pound,  but  in  neither  case  is 
there  any  uncertainty  regarding  the  non-use  of  the  metric  units. 

When  the  reports  show,  as  they  often  do,  sales  to  be  made  by  the 
unit,  dozen  or  hundred,  the  information  has  been  omitted  as  having  no 
significance.  Similarly,  such  expressions  as  "by  arrangement,"  "bale/1 
"sack/'  "as  per  con  tract/ '"in  packages  of  various  weights/'  "by  weight," 
"conventional,"  "lineal  and  square  measures,"  "no  fixed  standard," 
"load  of  an  animal,"  "special  standards/ 'of  which  there  are  many,  convey 
no  definite  information  and  have  been  ignored.  The  expressions  "Ameri- 
can measurements"  and  "English  measurements"  have  been  translated 
into  English  units  when  they  are  sufficiently  well  defined  by  custom. 
The  expressions  "metric"  and  "metric  system"  have  been  treated 
similarly  when  the  units  used  are  known  or  made  clear  in  other  ques- 
tionnaires, but  it  has  sometimes  been  necessary  to  use  the  inclusive  term 
"metric."  "English  system "  and  equivalent  expressions  have  also  been 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  11 

used  in  some  cases.  In  several  reports  on  wearing  apparel,  numbered 
sizes  are  given.  In  some  cases  these  are  clearly  inches  or  centimeters 
and  have  been  so  translated.  In  other  cases  they  are  local  and  im- 
possible to  translate  into  any  system  of  units,  and  have  been  so  given. 

The  word  quintal  (in  some  countries  called  cental)  invariably  means 
the  Spanish  quintal  of  100  libras,  and,  similarly,  tonelada  means  the 
Spanish  ton  of  2000  libras.  In  those  cases  in  which  the  metric  quintal 
of  100  kilograms  and  the  metric  ton  of  1000  kilos  have  been  reported, 
those  units  are  designated  as  metric  quintal  and  metric  ton.  Some  of  the 
reports  show  incongruous  units  for  certain  purposes,  but  they  are,  of 
necessity,  repeated  here. 


THE  EESULT  OF  A  GREAT  SERIES  OF  EXPERIMENTS 

We  have  in  this  Report  a  composite  picture  of  the  result  of  many 
attempts  to  adopt  the  metric  system,  that  result  being  uniformly  the  addi- 
tion of  that  system  to  those  previously  prevailing,  and  it  is  this  that  we 
must  contemplate  as  the  result  of  the  attempt  to  adopt  it  here.  We  must 
compare  what  we  have  with  what  we  will  get,  not  with  what  one  may 
hope  we  will  get.  Moreover,  it  must  be  noted  that  had  all  these  coun- 
tries succeeded  in  this  great  experiment,  it  would  have  no  significance 
for  our  guidance,  because  of  the  greater  importance  of  our  manufacturing 
industries.  France  adopted  the  system  before  the  beginning  of  the  manu- 
facturing era,  and  Germany  adopted  it  before  the  development  of  manu- 
facturing in  that  country.  Everyone  knows  that  the  rise  of  Geimany  as  a 
manufacturing  nation  began  after  the  war  of  1870.  South  American 
countries  are  not  manufacturing  countries.  More  manufacturing  is  done 
in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  than  in  all  South  America. 

We  see  then  that,  in  western  Europe,  the  system  was  adopted  before 
the  development  of  manufacturing  and  that  manufacturing  has  developed 
with  and  in  it,  while  in  South  America  practically  no  manufacturing  is 
carried  on. 

Great  Britain  and  we  are  the  first  to  be  asked  to  change  our  manufac- 
turing units  for  which  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  a  precedent. 

Seldom  has  an  effort  of  such  magnitude  been  made.  We  have  here 
a  record  of  twenty  experiments  on  a  national  or,  collectively,  a  continental 
scale,  and  their  net  result  is  to  demonstrate  the  wisdom  of  the  conclusion 
arrived  at  by  John  Quincy  Adams  after  four  years  of  investigation  and 
nearly  a  century  ago: 

"  The  substitution  of  an  entire  new  system  of  weights  and  measures  instead  of 
one  long  established  and  in  general  use,  is  one  of  the  most  arduous  exercises 
of  legislative  authority.  There  is,  indeed,  no  difficulty  in  enacting  and  promul- 
gating the  law,  but  the  difficulties  of  carrying  it  into  execution  are  always  great 
and  have  often  proved  insuperable. 


12  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

"  The  legislator  .  .  .  finishes  by  increasing  the  diversities  which  it  was  his  in- 
tention to  abolish,  and  by  loading  his  statute  books  only  with  the  impotence  of 
authority  and  the  uniformity  of  confusion." 

It  is  to  protect  our  country  from  this  " uniformity  of  confusion"  that  we 
are  fighting. 

THE   RESULTS   ARE    NOT    SURPRISING 

Some  who  read  this  chapter  will,  no  doubt,  be  surprised  at  the  con- 
dition disclosed  in  Spanish  and  Portuguese  America,  but  there  is  no  reason 
why  any  one  should  be  surprised  as  no  one  has  seen  the  first  scintilla  of 
proof  to  the  contrary.  Assertions  and  assumptions  have  been  repeated 
so  many  times  that,  no  doubt,  in  some  cases,  they  have  been  accepted  as 
true,  but  no  proof  has  been  presented  and  there  is  no  proof.  On  the  con- 
trary, those  who  know  weights  and  measures,  who  know  the  gigantic 
character  of  the  task  which  confronts  any  nation  which  sets  out  to  change 
them,  know  that  the  inherent  probabilities  are  all  in  favor  of  the  condition 
set  forth. 

Do  not  confound  legislation  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  with 
its  real  adoption.  All  experience  shows  that  while  such  legislation  is 
fatally  easy,  the  adoption  of  the  system  is  impossible,  the  effect  of  the 
laws  being  to  bring  about  nothing  but  the  confusion  and  disorder  that 
prevail  throughout  Latin  America.  Every  success  in  the  attempt  to 
persuade  some  interest  to  introduce  the  system  is  but  a  step  toward  the 
confusion  that  prevails  throughout  Latin  America.  We  have  there 
twenty  countries  in  which  the  experiment  has  been  made  with  the  uniform 
result  of  grotesque  failure.  Every  expectation  has  been  falsified  and 
every  prediction  inverted.  Shall  we  take  warning,  or  shall  we  plunge 
headlong  into  this  metric  morass? 

Following  are  the  summarized  replies  to  the  questionnaires : 

ARGENTINA 
(Summary  of  eleven  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Kilogram,  liter,  pound.  Fruits:  Kilogram.  Milk:  Liter.  Butter  and 
Cheese:  Kilogram.  Other  Farm  Products:  Kilogram,  liter.  Hardware:  Kilogram, 
centimeter,  inch,  meter,  yard.  Fish:  Kilogram.  Meat:  Kilogram.  Flour:  Kilogram. 
Tea  and  Coffee:  Kilogram. 

Dry  Goods:  Meter,  yard.     Fuel:  Kilogram.     Tobacco:  Kilogram. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Centimeter,  inch,  local  numbers.  "The  measurements  of 
these  articles  are  expressed  in  the  trade  in  English  or  metric  units  according  to  their 
source.  Clothing,  collars,  hats,  etc.,  imported  from  England  are  measured  in  inches 
and  those  from  France  in  metric  units."  Hats:  Centimeter,  local  numbers,  inch. 
(See  clothing  above.)  Collars:  Centimeter,  inch.  "Best  stores  have  conversion 
tables  to  inches."  (See  clothing  above.)  Underwear  and  Hosiery:  Inch,  centimeter. 
Shoes:  Centimeter.  "  Imported  shoes  in  English  sizes.  Local  manufactures  to  special 
Argentine  numbers."  "The  point  corresponding  to  one-quarter  of  the  old  French 
inch."  Gloves:  Centimeter.  Corsets:  Centimeter. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  13 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  Hectare,  square  meter,  cuadra,  league,  vara.  "Lots 
of  land  are  sold  in  most  cases  by  the  square  vara."  "  In  many  places  the  vara  is  used, 
also  the  cuadra,  but  these  measures  are  not  legal."  "In  Buenos  Aires  the  old  vare 
is  still  quite  frequent."  "The  real  estate  dealers  are  accustomed  to  sell  city  lots  by 
the  square  vara,  although  according  to  law  they  are  liable  to  a  severe  penalty." 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Inch,  foot,  meter.  "English  measurements,  though  some 
sales  are  based  on  length  in  meters."  "Length  always  in  meters,  breadth  and  thick- 
ness more  often  in  inches."  "Chiefly  English  measures."  "By  the  cubic  meter 
and  square  meter  for  1  inch  in  thickness." 

By  Carpenters  and  other  Woodworkers:  Metric,  English.  By  Stone  and  Brick 
Masons:  Metric.  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses:  Meter,  centimeter. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Meter,  inch,  millimeter,  centimeter,  gram,  kilogram.  "Sizes 
in  English  measures."  "  Iron  measurements  in  inches,  otherwise  kilo  and  centimeter." 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  meter,  square  meter,  kilogram.  In 
Mines  and  for  Mining  Products:  Metric  ton,  kilogram,  meter.  In  Smelting  and  for 
Smelter  Products:  Meter,  pulgada,  kilogram,  metric  ton.  Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas,  Water, 
Sewers,  Etc.:  Length,  meter;  diameter,  meter,  foot,  inch;  weight,  kilogram.  "Meter 
for  large  sewer  pipes;  soil  pipes,  English  and  metric;  gas  and  water  pipes,  inch." 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Meter,  foot,  inch,  kilogram.  Marine  Measurements: 
Kilometer,  meter,  pie,  ton,  mile,  knot,  cubic  foot.  "Distances,  maritime  miles; 
charts,  feet;  tonnage  and  displacement,  same  as  England  and  United  States."  "Eng- 
lish measures."  "As  regards  marine  measurements,  although  contrary  to  legal 
provisions,  people  use  for  distance  the  marine  mile.  Charts  of  bays:  Depths  are 
expressed  in  English  feet  or  in  fathoms  of  6  ft.  Tonnage  is  expressed  in  Moorson 
tons.  Displacement  is  expressed  in  English  tons.  Freight,  English  ton,  metric  ton." 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  metric  ton.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  hectoliter, 
kilogram.  Meat  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram.  Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram. 
Coffee  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Liter.  Butter  and  Cheese  at 
Wholesale:  Kilogram.  Garden  Products  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram.  Rubber  at  Whole- 
sale: Kilogram. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance):  Kilogram,  metric 
ton,  kilometer.  Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Kilogram,  metric  ton. 
Loads  and  Rates  for  Transportation  by  Muleback  Across  the  Mountains:  Kilogram. 
Railway  Track  Gages  and  Length  of  Lines:  Distances,  kilometer;  gage,  English,  metric. 
Railway  Equipment  (units  used  in  the  construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives,  cars, 
etc.):  English,  metric. 

"The  only  legal  units  for  any  business  transaction  are  the  metric  system,  but 
through  a  bad  habit  there  has  been  introduced  in  common  language  the  indiscriminate 
use  of  the  American  and  Canadian  legal  measurements." 

Mr.  E.  F.  Du  Brul  writes  from  Buenos  Aires:  "Many  quotations  on  the  market 
are  made  in  tons,  pounds,  etc.  City  land  is  sold  by  the  square  vara.  Wine,  etc., 
is  sold  by  the  pipe  and  barrel.  I  notice  advertisements  in  the  street  cars  of  wine  sold 
by  the  frasco.  As  large  estancias  change  hands  they  are  sold  by  the  square  legua. 
I  notice  that  there  is  one  ton  of  918.8  kilos.  I  have  run  into  a  few  others ;  for  example, 
a  metric  ton  of  1000  kilos;  another  of  1004  kilos;  another  of  1016  kilos,  and  another 
of  1018  kilos.  Many  building  operations  are  conducted  on  the  old  Spanish  meas- 
urements. Machinists  and  others  are  extremely  familiar  with  English  measurements 
as  well  as  Spanish  and  metric  because  they  have  to  use  all  three  of  them."  Mr.  Du 
Brul  encloses  a  price  list  of  files  made  in  Germany  and  sold  in  Buenos  Aires,  and  the 
lengths  are  given  in  all  cases  in  pulgadas. 

According  to  a  standing  announcement  in  THE  JOURNAL  of  The  American  Society 
of  Mechanical  Engineers,  the  Republic  of  Argentina  specifies  that  all  steam  boilers 


14  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

for  government  use  are  to  be  made  to  the  Society's  code.  This  code  is  the  most 
elaborate  piece  of  standardization  ever  undertaken.  It  includes  a  profusion  of 
formulae  and  specifications  of  the  properties  of  materials  and  the  strength  of  all  parts 
in  English  units  exclusively. 

The  Boston  Pressed  Metal  Company  write:  "Shipments  to  Argentine  are  handled 
by  our  agent  at  Buenos  Aires  and  standard  English  sizes  are  accepted  and  used 
without  question.  In  fact,  there  has  never  been  any  suggestion  that  metric  sizes 
were  required  or  preferred." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Argentina. 

Argentina  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1863. 

BOLIVIA 

The  report  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department  of 
Commerce  and  Labor,  Part  IV,  published  by  the  Department  in  1911,  contains  the 
following:  "Bolivia  has  officially  adopted  the  metric  system,  but  the  old  Spanish 
weights  and  measures  are  those  commonly  used.  All  cloth  is  retailed  by  the  vara." 

BRAZIL 

(Summary  of  thirty-seven  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Liter,  kilogram,  gallao,  arroba,  gram.  Fruits:  Kilogram,  arroba, 
alqueire;  conserves  in  ^-kilo  cans.  Milk:  Liter,  garrafa  of  %  liter.  Butter  and 
Cheese:  Kilogram,  libra;  butter  in  packages  of  %,  1  and  7  pounds  and  %,  %,  1,  and 
3  kilograms.  Other  Farm  Products:  Cargueire  quarta,  kilogram,  metric  pound,  liter, 
arroba.  Hardware:  Inch,  kilogram,  meter,  centimeter,  millimeter,  metric  ton,  liter 
(sic).  "Use  all  measures."  Fish:  Kilogram.  Meat:  Kilogram,  liter  (sic),  arroba. 
Flour:  Liter,  kilogram,  alqueire.  Tea  and  Coffee:  Tea  in  cans  of  K,  M,  1  and  5 
English  pounds  and  by  kilogram;  coffee,  kilogram. 

Dry  Goods:  Meter,  jarda,  covado. 

Fuel:  Wood,  cubic  meter,  carroca,  cargueire;  coal,  metric  ton,  kilogram;  oil,  kilo- 
gram and  liter. 

Tobacco:  Kilogram,  meter,  arroba;  fine  tobacco,  onca. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Centimeter,  meter.  Hats:- Brazilian,  English,  Italian  and 
Portuguese  numbers,  centimeter,  inch  meter  (sic).  Collars:  Centimeter,  meter  (sic). 
Underwear  and  Hosiery:  Underwear,  centimeter;  hosiery,  inch,  centimeter,  meter. 
Shoes:  Centimeter,  numbered  sizes  by  no  apparent  system,  English,  Portuguese, 
meter  (sic).  Gloves:  Letter  sizes,  numbered  sizes  by  no  apparent  system,  centimeter, 
inch.  Corsets:  Centimeter,  meter  (sic). 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts:  Meter,  square  meter, 
alqueire,  hectare,  leagua,  braca,  are,  palmo,  pollegada  (sic),  paulista,  front  foot, 
tarefa.  "For  agricultural  lands  or  open  lands  in  general  the  division  is  almost 
universally  into  alqueires."  "The  old  Brazilian  leagua  is  generally  used."  "The 
standard  throughout  the  State  is  the  alqueire."  In  the  smaller  towns:  Braca,  alqueire, 
square  meter,  tarefa,  vara,  hectare,  palmo,  front  meter,  are,  pollegada  (sic).  In 
cities:  Meter,  square  meter,  braca,  are,  palmo,  pollegada  (sic),  hectare. 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Palmo,  foot,  inch,  pie,  pollegada,  meter  and  palmo  for  length, 
square  foot,  cubic  meter,  centimeter.  "Thickness  of  lumber  always  in  English  inches. 
Width  in  English  inch  by  the  lumber  company,  and  Portuguese  inch  by  others. 
The  lengths  in  feet  by  the  lumber  company  and  Portuguese  inches  by  others." 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  15 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Meter,  inch,  foot,  palmo,  pollegada,  centi- 
meter. By  Stone  and  Brick  Masons:  Meter,  cubic  meter,  square  meter,  pollegada, 
centimeter,  palmo.  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses:  Meter,  centimeter. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Meter,  foot,  inch,  palmo,  kilogram,  metric  ton,  gram,  liter 
(sic).  "The  metric  system  was  established  by  law  under  the  Empire  as  the  only 
official  system.  The  English  system,  especially  for  metal  work,  is  very  popular." 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  meter,  palmo,  braca.  In  Mines  and 
jor  Mining  Products:  Meter,  cubic  meter,  metric  ton,  kilogram,  gram,  oitavo,  carat. 
In  Smelting  and  for  Smelter  Products:  Cubic  meter,  metric  ton,  inch  (sic),  centimeter, 
(sic),  kilogram,  gram.  Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas,  Water,  Sewers,  Etc.:  Inch,  centimeter, 
meter  for  length.  "English  system  chiefly;  metric  system  infrequently."  "For 
the  measurement  of  earthen  pipes,  the  internal  diameter  is  usually  given  in  inches. 
Metal  tubing  for  gas  and  water  is  measured  by  weight,  per  kilogram.  Diameters 
are  usually  measured  in  inches  and  lengths  in  meters."  "The  English  measures 
prevail." 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Meter,  yard,  foot,  inch.  "Generally  the  English  foot; 
exceptionally  the  meter."  Marine  Measurements:  Marine  mile,  foot  for  harbor 
charts,  meter;  freight  by  metric  ton,  cubic  meter,  kilogram;  depths  in.  meters  or 
feet;  knot,  league.  "English  mile  for  distance;  English  foot  for  drafts."  "English 
system."  "The  nautical  mile  is  most  commonly  employed;  Lloyds'  registry  is  used 
in  calculating  tonnage."  "Distances,  English  mile;  tonnage,  English  ton;  draft, 
English  foot." 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Arroba,  kilogram.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Liter,  kilogram,  prato, 
cargueiro  quarta,  alqueire,  arroba.  Meat  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  arroba.  Root 
Crops  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  arroba,  amarrado,  metric  ton.  Coffee  at  Wholesale: 
Kilogram,  arroba.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Liter.  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Kilo- 
gram, libra,  jaca,  arroba.  Garden  Products  at  Wholesale:  Liter,  kilogram.  Rubber  at 
Wholesale:  Kilogram,  arroba. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance):  Kilometer,  metric 
ton,  cubic  meter.  Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Kilometer,  tonelada, 
cubic  meter,  arroba,  metric  ton,  kilogram.  Loads  and  Rates  for  Transportation  by 
Muleback  Across  the  Mountains:  Arroba,  kilogram.  Railway  Track  Gages  and  Length 
of  Lines:  Meter,  kilometer,  centimeter.  Railway  Equipment  (units  used  in  the  con- 
struction and  repairing  of  locomotives,  coaches,  etc.):  Inch,  foot,  kilogram,  meter. 
"Weight,  kilo;  measure,  English  inch." 

"The  official  system  of  weights  and  measures,  etc.,  is  the  metric  system.  How- 
ever, the  old  Brazilian  system  is  still  commonly  used." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Brazil. 

Brazil  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1862. 

CHILE 

(Summary  of  ten  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Libra,  kilogram.  "Generally  the  libra."  Fruits:  Libra,  kilogram. 
Milk:  Liter,  hectoliter,  botella  =  %  liter.  Butter  and  Cheese:  Libra,  kilogram. 
Other  Farm  Products:  Libra,  kilogram,  quintal,  fanega.  Hardware:  Libra,  kilo- 
gram. Fish:  Libra,  kilogram.  Meat:  Kilogram,  libra.  "Live  cattle,  kilo;  meat,  libra." 
Flour:  Libra,  kilogram,  arroba,  quintal.  Tea  and  Coffee:  Libra,  fanega,  quintal, 
kilogram. 

Dry  Goods:  Vara,  yard,  rneter.     "Wholesale,  yard;  retail,  vara." 


16  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Fuel:  Kilogram,  raja,  cubic  meter,  decaliter  (sic),  almud,  fanega,  tonelada,  metric 
ton,  cordada. 

Tobacco:  Libra,  quintal,  kilogram,  gram. 

Ready-v.ade  Clothing:  Centimeter,  inch.  "As  in  United  States  and  England." 
Hats:  Local  numbers,  inch,  centimeter.  Collars:  Centimeter.  Underwear  and 
Hosiery:  Centimeter,  inch.  "As  in  the  United  States."  Shoes:  Centimeter.  Gloves: 
"English  sizes,"  local  numbers,  centimeter.  Corsets:  Centimeter,  inch.  "French 
and  English,"  "English  sizes." 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts:  Hectare,  cuadra,  caballeria, 
leagua.  In  the  smaller  towns:  Hectare,  meter,  cuadra,  square  meter,  caballeria, 
potrero.  In  cities:  Square  meter,  square  vara. 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Inch,  square  foot,  foot,  board  foot,  cubic  yard.  "Sizes  as 
in  United  States."  "Length  of  native  wood  in  Spanish  varas." 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Inch,  foot,  square  foot.  "The  measures 
generally  used  are  the  foot  and  inch,  rarely  the  meter."  "The  meter  is  sometimes 
used  for  the  sizes  of  beams."  By  Stone  and  Brick  Masons:  Square  meter,  cubic  meter, 
inch,  centimeter.  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses:  Centimeter,  meter,  vara. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Inch,  foot.  "In  repair  work  on  English  and  American  machin- 
ery, feet  and  inches;  on  German,  French  and  Italian,  metric." 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Grounds:  Cubic  meter,  vara,  pie.  In  Mines  and  for 
Mining  Products:  Quintal,  cubic  meter,  kilogram,  tonelada,  metric  ton.  "Long 
ton  fur  ores  for  England ;  short  tons  for  American  purchase ;  metric  for  local  smelters ; 
Troy  and  metric  for  assays."  In  Smelting  and  for  Smelter  Products:  Tonelada,  kilo- 
gram, cubic  meter,  quintal.  Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas,  Water,  Sewers,  Etc.:  Inch,  foot, 
centimeter  for  sewer  pipe. 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Tonelada,  pie,  pulgada,  foot,  inch,  meter,  centimeter. 
Marine  Measurements:  Mile,  knot,  kilometer,  braza  (fathom),  ton.  "For  distances, 
the  English  mile;  for  charts  of  bays,  the  meter;  for  tonnage,  the  metric  ton;  for  dis- 
placement, the  metric  ton ;  for  freight  and  bulk,  meter  and  metric  weight."  "  English 
maritime  mile." 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Fanega,  metric  ton,  kilogram,  quintal,  metric  quintal,  arroba. 
Grain  at  Wholesale:  Fanega,  arroba,  quintal,  metric  quintal,  kilogram,  hectogram. 
Meat  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram.  "Wholesale,  per  kilo;  retail,  per  libra."  Root  Crops 
at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  libra,  kilogram,  arroba.  Coffee  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  fanega, 
kilogram,  metric  quintal.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Hectoliter,  liter,  botella  (2<f  liter). 
Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Libra,  quintal,  kilogram,  arroba.  Garden  Products 
at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  kilogram,  arroba.  Rubber  at  Wholesale:  Quintal. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Metric  quintal, 
tonelada,  kilogram.  Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Quintal,  tonelada,  cubic 
meter.  Railway  Track  Gages  and  Length  of  Lines:  Meter,  kilometer.  Railway 
Equipment  (units  used  in  the  construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives,  cars,  etc.):  Kilo- 
gram, inch,  foot,  quintal. 

"The  addition  of  the  metric  system  has  merely  added  an  additional  system 
without  any  visible  advantage.  So  long  as  the  Anglo-Saxon  dominates  in  the  manu- 
facturing world,  feet,  inches  and  pounds  will  be  used  here."  "All  measures  are 
mixed.  Besides  metric,  avoirdupois  weight  and  feet  there  are  many  Spanish  and 
local  measures  like  the  cajon,  marco,  fanega,  Spanish  quintal,  etc."  "The  libra  is 
most  frequently  used  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  goods  for  daily  consumption."  "In 
machine  shops  it  may  be  said  that  up  to  the  present  the  foot  and  inch  have  pre- 
dominated." "The  sales  of  the  leading  product  of  this  section,  nitrate  of  soda,  are 
made  commercially  in  Spanish  quintals."  "The  Chilian  hydrographic  charts  have 
scales  iix  several  units — cables,  meters  and  geographic  miles.". 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  17 

The  report  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department  of 
Commerce  and  Labor,  Part  IV,  published  by  the  Department  in  1911,  contains  the 
following:  "Chile  has  officially  adopted  the  metric  system,  but  in  the  shops  through- 
out tha  country  the  vararis  still  the  recognized  length  for  retail  selling." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Chile. 

Chile  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1858. 

COLOMBIA 
(Summary  of  five  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  "Pound  and  arroba  of  25  English  pounds,"  kilogram,  quintal.  Fruits: 
Pound,  kilogram,  quintal,  arroba.  Milk:  Botella  of  360  and  750  grams.  Butter  and 
Cheese:  Pound,  libra,  arroba,  metric  pound.  Other  Farm  Products:  Pound,  arroba, 
kilogram,  quintal.  Hardware:  "American  and  English  measurements  generally." 
"  English  pound  or  arroba  of  25  English  pounds."  Fish:  Pound,  "arroba  of  25  English 
pounds."  Meat:  Pound,  libra,  arroba.  Flour:  Libra,  pound.  Tea  and  Coffee: 
Libra,  pound,  ounce,  kilogram. 

Dry  Goods:  Yard,  vara,  meter.  "Cloths  are  sold  indiscriminately  by  meters, 
varas,  or  yards  according  to  the  origin  of  the  goods  or  the  whim  of  the  buyer." 

Fuel:  Kilogram,  burro,  arroba,  metric  ton,  English  ton  and  pound. 

Tobacco:  Libra,  arroba,  pound. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  "American  and  French  measurements."  Hats:  "American 
and  French  measurements."  "Spanish  sizes."  Collars:  "American  and  French 
measurements."  Underwear  and  Hosiery:  "American  and  French  measurements." 
"Spanish  sizes."  Shoes:  "American  and  French  measurements."  "Spanish  sizes." 
Gloves:  "American  and  French  measurements."  Corsets:  "American  and  French 
measurements." 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts :  Hectare,  fanegada,  cabuya. 
In  the  smaller  towns :  Cabuya  (50  brazas),  square  vara.  In  cities :  Square  vara,  square 
meter,  square  yard.  "The  real-estate  documents  always  give  the  measure  that  is 
used  indiscriminately." 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Square  foot,  metric,  "Standard  board  sizes  in  inches." 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Square  foot,  "Feet  and  inches  and  metric 
system  about  equally."  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses:  Metric,  inch.  By  Stone  and 
Brick  Masons:  Square  foot. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Meter,  foot,  "English  system." 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  meter.  In  Mines  and  for  Mining 
Products:  "English."  In  Smelting  and  for  Smelter  Products:  "English."  Sizes  of 
Pipe  for  Gas,  Water,  Sewers,  Etc.:  "English  measures." 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Cubic  ton,  "English  measures."  Marine  Measure- 
ments: Mile,  "Metric  measurements  and  weights."  "The  braza,  which  corresponds 
to  the  English  fathom.  The  English  nautical  league  and  mile,  English  ton  and  short 
ton;  occasionally  the  metric  ton.  Displacement  ton  as  above  (English).  Freight 
per  metric  ton." 

Grain  at  Wholesale:  Hectare  (sic),  pound,  arroba,  quintal.  Meat  at  Wholesale: 
Pound,  arroba.  Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  kilogram,  arroba,  manojo,  ton. 
Coffee  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  arroba,  quintal.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Contara,  botella. 
Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  arroba,  metric  pound.  Garden  Products  at 
Wholesale:  Pound,  kilogram,  arroba.,  quintal.  Rubber  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  arroba, 
quintal,  metric  ton, 
2 


18  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Kilometer.  Loads 
and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Arroba,  mile,  pound.  Loads  and  Rates  for  Trans- 
portation by  Muleback  across  the  Mountains:  Arroba,  mile. 

Railway  Track  Gages  and  Length  of  Lines:  Inch,  foot,  meter,  kilometer. 

"  The  pound  in  this  region  is  the  English  because  all  the  machines,  platform  scales 
and  weighing  instruments  come  from  England  and  the  United  States."  "As  you  can 
see,  we  have  no  uniformity  of  weights  and  measures  in  this  country."  The  report 
of  Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department  of  Commerce 
and  Labor,  Part  II,  published  by  the  Department  in  1910,  contains  the  following: 
"An  instance  of  the  conservatism  of  the  retail  merchants  in  this  respect  was  strikingly 
shown  during  the  recent  civil  war,  when  the  Bogota  importers  found  it  necessary  to 
get  some  white  goods  from  the  Barranquilla  importers.  On  arrival  the  importers 
/ound  them  almost  unsalable  because  they  were  in  the  coast  lengths  of  20  yards  in- 
stead of  the  customary  Bogota  lengths  of  24  yards.  It  would  seem  that,  as  the  goods 
are  finally  retailed  by  the  vara,  the  length  of  cuts  would  be  immaterial,  but  according 
to  the  importers  it  has  a  strong  effect  on  the  salability  of  the  cloth,  and  this  peculiarity 
must  be  catered  to  in  order  to  obtain  the  business." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Colombia. 

Colombia  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1853. 

COSTA  RICA 
(Summary  of  three  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Libra,  cajuela,  fanega,  quintal.  Fruit:  Domestic,  no  standard;  imported, 
libra.  Milk:  Liter,  botella  (^  gallon).  Butter  and  Cheese:  Libra,  arroba.  Other 
Farm  and  Garden  Products:  Libra,  cuarillo,  fanega,  cajuela,  quintal.  Hardware: 
Pie,  vara,  libra,  pound.  Fish:  Libra,  quintal.  Meat:  Kilogram,  libra.  Flour: 
Quintal,  half  quintal,  libra.  Tea  and  Coffee:  Quintal,  libra. 

Dry  Goods:  Vara,  yard. 

Fuel:  Coal,  libra;  charcoal,  cuartillo;  wood,  no  denned  unit. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Inch,  centimeter.  Hats:  Inch.  Collars:  Inch,  centimeter. 
Underwear  and  Hosiery:  Inch,  centimeter.  Shoes:  English  numbers,  French  numbers. 
Gloves:  Inch.  Corsets:  Inch. 

Measurement  of  Land:  In  agricultural  districts :  Hectare,  square  vara,  manzana, 
are.  In  the  smaller  towns:  Hectare,  square  pie,  square  vara,  square  meter.  In 
cities:  Hectare,  square  pie,  square  vara,  manzana,  square  meter.  "The  people  in 
their  transactions  generally  use  the  manzana  and  square  vara,  but  the  registry  of 
documents  in  the  government  office  is  based  entirely  on  the  meter  and  the  hectare." 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Lineal  and  cubic  pie,  tonelada  of  27  cubic  pies,  ton  of  1000 
kilos,  foot  and  vara  for  length,  inch  for  thickness. 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Superficial  and  cubic  pie,  meter,  foot,  vara, 
yard.  "Indiscriminately  the  English  foot,  the  Spanish  vara,  yard  and  meter."  By 
Tailors  and  Dressmakers:  Yard,  vara,  meter. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Quintal,  libra,  meter,  vara,  foot,  yard,  pound. 

In  Contracts  for  the  Excavation  of  Ground:  Tonelada,  cubic  meter,  cubic  vara,  cubic 
foot,  cubic  yard,  cubic  meter.  In  Mines  and  Mineral  Products:  Metric  ton,  tonelada, 
ounce.  Smelting  and  Smelter  Products:  Foot,  vara,  yard,  meter,  libra,  kilogram. 
Pipe  Sizes:  Inch,  foot. 

Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Cubic  ton.  Marine  Measurements:  Mile,  league.  Hay  at 
Wholesale:  Bale  of  30  to  50  libras.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  fanega,  cajeula, 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  19 

cuartillo.  Meat  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  quintal.  Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Quintal, 
bag  of  160  liters.  Coffee  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  tonelada.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Botella. 
Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  arroba.  Garden  Products  at  Wholesale: 
Quintal,  bag  of  160  liters.  Rubber  at  Wholesale:  Quintal. 

Railway  Tariff:  Passengers  per  mile;  freight  per  quintal,  kilo,  metric  ton,  cubic 
pie,  cubic  ton,  cubic  meter  per  kilometer.  Urban  Transportation:  Quintal.  Mule- 
back  Transportation  Across  Mountains:  Arroba.  Railway  Gage:  Feet  and  inches. 

"Although  the  law  No.  35  of  July  17,  1884,  established  the  metric  system  as  obliga- 
tory, the  people  and  the  merchants  do  not  use  it  ordinarily  in  their  transactions." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Costa  Rica. 

Costa  Rica  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1858. 


CUBA 

(Summary  of  three  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Libra,  quintal.  Fruits:  Libra.  Milk:  Botella.  Butter  and  Cheese: 
Libra.  Other  Farm  Products:  Libra.  Hardware:  "English  measures."  Fish:  Libra. 
Meat:  Libra.  Flour:  Libra.  Tea  and  Coffee:  Libra.  Dry  Goods:  Vara,  yard. 

Fuel:  Libra,  cuerda. 

Tobacco:  Libra,  quintal. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Inch,  "American  measures."  Hats:  Centimeter,  "American 
measures."  Collars:  Inch,  centimeter.  Underwear  and  Hosiery:  Inch,  centimeter, 
"American  measures."  Shoes:  Centimeter,  "American  measures."  Gloves:  Centi- 
meter, inch,  "American  measures."  Corsets:  Inch,  centimeter,  "American  measures." 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts :  Caballeria,  leagua,  carreaux, 
"the  equivalents  being  inserted  in  all  public  documents  according  to  law."  In  the 
smaller  towns:  Caballeria,  vara,  meter,  cubana.  In  cities:  "Parcels  of  1000  square 
varas." 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Foot,  inch,  kilogram  (sic). 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Foot,  inch,  kilogram  (sic).  By  Tailors  and 
Seamstresses:  Meter,  centimeter.  By  Stone  and  Brick  Masons:  Meter,  foot,  inch, 
kilogram  (sic). 

In  Machine  Shops:  Inch,  centimeter,  pound. 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  meter.  In  Mines  and  for  Mining 
Pro'ducts:  Ton,  metric.  "Transactions  with  the  United  States  in  feet,  inches  and 
pounds."  In  Smelting  and  for  Smelter  Products:  Centimeter,  inch.  Sizes  of  Pipe 
for  Gas,  Water,  Sewers,  Etc.:  Inch. 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Foot,  inch,  meter,  ton.  Marine  Measurements: 
League,  ton,  mile,  "foot  for  depth." 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  English  quintal.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  English 
quintal.  Meat  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  Spanish  and  English  quintal.  Root  Crops  at 
Wholesale:  Pound,  English  quintal.  Coffee  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  English  and  Spanish 
quintal.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Botella.  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  English 
quintal.  Garden  Products  at  Wholesale:  Pound. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance):  Meter,  kilogram, 
kilometer.  Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Meter,  kilogram.  Railway 
Track  Gages  and  Length  of  Lines:  Foot,  inch,  kilometer.  Railway  Equipment  (units 
used  in  the  construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives,  cars,  etc.):  "American  and  English 
equipment." 


20  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

"American  measures  generally  used  and  in  each  industry  the  name  is  used  cor- 
responding with  the  English  meaning." 

The  report  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department 
of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Part  I,  published  by  the  Department  in  1909,  contains  the 
following:  " Though  the  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures  is  the  official  and 
legal  system  in  Cuba,  some  of  the  Spanish  weights  and  measures  are  still  largely 
used,  among  them  being  the  arroba  and  the  vara.  Cloth  is  bought  by  the  importer 
by  the  meter  or  yard,  and  is  retailed  in  the  shops  by  the  yard  or  the  vara,  the  vara 
being  more  commonly  used." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  " obligatory"  in  Cuba. 

DOMINICAN  REPUBLIC 

Commerce  Reports,  published  by  the  Department  of  Commerce,  prints  the  following 
communication,  dated  February  20,  1918,  from  Consul  Arthur  McLean  of  Puerto 
Plata:  "The  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures  has  been  legally  adopted  by  the 
Dominican  Republic.  The  only  places,  however,  where  the  metric  system  is  applied 
to  trade  here  is  in  the  municipal  markets;  avoirdupois  weights  are  used  in  all  other 
mercantile  transactions,  although  the  metric  system  is  in  force  in  the  customs  and 
other  Government  institutions.  The  kilometer  and  the  league  are  the  two  units  most 
generally  used  in  computing  distances.  Jobbers  use  the  English  yard  in  selling  cotton 
goods  to  the  retailers,  while  the  latter  in  turn  sell  to  their  customers  by  the  vara  or 
Spanish  yard,  measuring  33  inches.  While  quotations  may  be  made  by  American 
houses  to  their  clients  in  the  Dominican  Republic  in  either  metric  or  English  units, 
the  latter  are  equally  acceptable,  if  not  preferred." 

ECUADOR 

Summary  of  five  returned  questionnaires.     One  of  the  questionnaires,  in  English, 
reports  pounds  where,  in  view  of  the  others,  libras  are  probably  meant  and  are  so 

here  reported.) 

Groceries:  Libra,  quintal.  Milk:  Liter,  gallon.  Butter  and  Cheese:  Libra,  arroba, 
quintal.  Other  Farm  Products:  Arroba,  quintal.  Hardware:  Libra,  arroba,  quintal; 
pipe  by  the  foot,  sheet  iron  and  zinc  by  the  pound,  nails  and  tacks  by  the  pound  and 
ounce.  Fish:  Arroba,  quintal.  Meat:  Libra,  kilogram.  Flour:  Libra,  kilogram, 
quintal.  Tea  and  Coffee:  Libra.  Dry  Goods:  At  retail,  vara;  at  wholesale,  yard, 
meter. 

Tobacco:  Libra,  quintal. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Inch.  Hats:  Centimeter.  Collars:  Centimeter.  Under- 
wear and  Hosiery:  Inch,  centimeter.  Shoes:  Centimeter,  English  sizes.  Gloves: 
Centimeter,  inch.  Corsets:  Centimeter,  inch. 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts :  Hectare,  cuadra,  square 
meter.  In  the  smaller  towns:  Square  meter,  cuadra.  In  cities:  Square  meter,  vara. 
"In  the  cities  the  buildings  are  measured  by  the  meter,  the  lots  by  the  vara." 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Square  foot,  pie,  foot,  pulgada,  inch,  centimeter;  length  in 
varas,  circumference  in  palmas. 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Square  foot,  pie,  pulgada,  vara.  By  Tailors 
and  Seamstresses:  Centimeter. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Centimeter,  millimeter,  pulgada,  inch,  meter.  "The  common 
standard  is  the  English  inch." 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  21 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Square  meter,  cubic  meter,  vara.  In  Mines 
and  for  Mining  Products:  Kilogram,  ton,  tonelada,  quintal.  In  Smelting  and  for 
Smelter  Products:  Quintal,  pound,  kilogram.  Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas,  Water,  Sewers, 
Etc.:  Inch,  centimeter,  meter  for  length. 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Ton,  meter,  vara.  Marine  Measurements:  Kilometer, 
meter,  vara,  league,  metric  ton,  English  ton,  tonelada,  mile,  knot,  braza,  paja,  malina, 
buey. 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Quintal.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Fanega,  quintal.  Meat  at  Whole- 
sale: Kilogram.  Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  quintal.  Coffee  at  Wholesale: 
Quintal.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Gallon  "of  4  liters,"  liter.  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Whole- 
sale: Libra.  Rubber  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  kilogram. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance):  Kilometer.  Loads 
and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Weight,  cubic  pie.  Railway  Track  Gages  and 
Length  of  Lines:  Meter,  kilometer,  inch.  Railway  Equipment  (units  used  in  the 
construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives,  coaches,  etc.}:  American. 

"The  Spanish  inch,  foot  and  ton  are  used  as  are  other  measures,  although  the 
metric  measurements  are  sometimes  used."  "The  Spanish  pound  is  used  in  weighing 
everything."  "While  the  metric  system  is  legal,  it  is  not  enforced." 

(Reply  to  a  questionnaire  sent  out  by  Mr.  Henry  R.  Towne) 

Legal  Standards:  Metric  system  used  by  the  Government. 

Common  Standards:  The  public  uses  generally  the  old  Spanish  (Castilian;  measures 
the  vara,  the  libra,  and  the  gallon. 

Commercial  Use:  Metric  system  used  in  business  with  foreign  countries,  except  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain,  ir>  which  case  the  British  system  is  used.  In  do- 
mestic business  only  the  Spanish  system  is  used. 

Domestic  Use:  Only  the  Spanish  system  in  domestic  use. 

Measuring  Implements:  Spanish  measures  chiefly. 

Dual  Standards:  The  old  Spanish  (Castilian)  is  preferred  simply  as  a  matter  of 
habit  "handed  down  by  the  Conquistadors." 

Adoption  of  Metric  System:  Metric  system  adopted  about  30  years  ago. 

Bookkeeping,  Invoicing,  Etc.:  Bookkeeping  about  half  in  metric  and  half  in  old 
Spanish  units,  but  only  the  latter  used  in  making  out  domestic  invoices.  Foreign 
invoices  about  90  per  cent,  metric  and  10  per  cent,  old  Spanish.  Business  records 
about  half  and  half. 

The  report  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department  of 
Commerce  and  Labor,  Part  IV,  published  by  the  Department  in  1911,  contains  the 
following :  "  Cloth  is  bought  and  sold  by  the  importer  by  the  yard,  meter  or  vara,  but 
is  always  retailed  by  the  vara." 

Ecuador  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1856. 

GUATEMALA 

(Summary  of  four  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Libra,  quintal.  Milk:  Liter.  Butter  and  Cheese:  Libra.  Fish:  Libra. 
Meat:  Libra.  Flour:  Libra,  quintal.  Tea  and  Coffee:  Libra. 

Dry  Goods:  Vara. 

Fuel:  Carga,  red. 

Tobacco:  Libra. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Inch.  Hats:  Inch,  centimeter.  "The  two  standards  are 
used  indifferently."  Collars:  Inch,  centimeter.  "The  two  standards  are  used  in- 
differently." Underwear  and  Hosiery:  Inch.  Shoes:  English  sizes,  French  sizes.  ^ 


22  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Gloves:  Inch.  Corsets:  Inch.  "  The  importers  usually  sell  all  cloths,  that  is  to  say, 
men's  cloths,  by  the  yard.  The  retailers  often  and  almost  solely  use  the  vara.  The 
meter  is  used  very  little  and  for  the  most  part  only  between  importers  and  buyers  at 
wholesale." 

Measurement  of  Land:  In  agricultural  districts:  Caballeria,  manzana,  cuerda, 
fanega,  almud.  In  smaller  towns:  Cuerda.  In  cities:  Square  vara. 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Foot  and  inch. 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Foot  and  inch.  By  Stone  and  Brick 
Masons:  Cubic  yard,  square  vara,  cuadrada.  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses:  Yard, 
vara. 

In  Blacksmith  Shops:  Libra,  vara,  meter.     In  Machine  Shops:  Foot  and  inch. 

In  Contracts  for  the  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  pie,  cubic  yard.  Mining  and 
Mine  Products:  English  ton  of  2000  Ib.  Sizes  of  Pipe:  Inch. 

.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Libra,  quintal,  fanega.  Meat  at  Wholesale:  Libra,  arroba. 
Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Libra,  quintal.  Coffee  at  Wholesale:  Libra,  quintal.  Milk 
at  Wholesale:  Liter,  botella.  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Libra.  Rubber  at 
Wholesale:  Libra,  quintal. 

Railway  Tariff:  Passengers  per  mile,  freight  per  pound  per  mile.  Urban  Trucking: 
Mile.  Railway  Track  Gage:  3  ft. 

"The  artisans  of  the  country  use  in  their  calculations  the  Spanish  vara  as  the 
standard.  Foreigners  use  the  yard  or  the  meter  indifferently,  but  the  lumber  dealer 
and  the  dealer  in  logs  sell  by  thousands  of  square  feet  (English)." 

(Reply  to  a  questionnaire  sent  out  by  Mr.  Henry  R.  Towne) 

Legal  Standards:  Metric. 

Common  Standards:  Chiefly  the  old  units.  The  people  generally  use  the  Spanish 
vara,  the  cuarta,  and  the  libra. 

Commercial  Use:  Metric  system  generally  used  in  business. 

Domestic  Use:  In  domestic  life  the  old  Spanish  measures  are  generally  used. 

Measuring  Implements:  Weighing  scales  are  sold  marked  on  one  side  in  libras  and 
on  the  other  side  in  kilograms.  Measures  of  length  are  marked  on  one  side  with  the 
cuarta  and  on  the  other  with  the  meter.  Measures  of  volume  comprise  only  the 
liter  and  the  vara  or  cubic  meter. 

Dual  Standards:  The  people  continue  to  use  the  old  Spanish  measures  from  habit 
and  because  they  know  them  better  than  the  others. 

Adoption  of  Metric  System:  The  metric  system  was  adopted  here  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  when  the  Republic  was  established. 

Bookkeeping,  Invoicing,  Etc.:  The  vara  and  the  meter  or  yard  are  used  indifferently. 

"Our  standard  of  weight  is  the  quintal  of  100  Spanish  pounds.  Our  standard  of 
measure  is  the  botella." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Guatemala. 

Guatemala  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1894. 

HAITI 

Factors  in  Foreign  Trade,  published  by  the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor, 
1912,  gives  the  following  information: 

"  Weights  and  Measures:  Metric  system,  but  pounds,  tons  and  gallons  are  generally 
used  in  commerce  and  statistics.  The  pound  of  500  grams  (1.1023  pounds  avoirdu- 
pois) is  adopted  in  the  customs;  the  ton  is  2000  pounds;  gallon  is  equivalent  to  United 
States  gallon." 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  23 

MEXICO 

(Summary  of  ten  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Kilogram.  Fruits:  Kilogram.  Milk:  Liter,  cuartillo.  Butter  and 
Cheese:  Kilogram,  pound.  Other  Farm  Products:  Kilogram,  metric  ton,  arroba, 
carga,  cuartillo.  Hardware:  Kilogram,  meter,  "as  in  U.  S."  Fish:  Kilogram.  Meat: 
Kilogram.  Flour:  Kilogram,  arroba,  carga.  Tea  and  Coffee:  Kilogram,  libra, 
pound. 

Dry  Goods:  Kilogram  (sic),  meter,  centimeter,  vara,  yard. 

Fuel:  Kilogram,  cord,  quintal,  metric  ton,  troje,  zontla. 

Tobacco:  Kilogram. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Meter,  yard,  inch,  centimeter,  kilo  (sic).  " French  and 
American  indiscriminately."  "As  in  U.  S."  Hats:  Meter  (sic),  yard  (sic),  inch, 
centimeter.  "French  or  American  indiscriminately."  "As  in  U.  S."  Underwear 
and  Hosiery:  Meter  (sic),  yard  (sic),  inch,  centimeter.  "French  or  American  in- 
discriminately." "As  in  U.  S." 

Shoes?  Meter  (sic),  yard  (sic),  centimeter,  English  sizes.  "French  or  American 
indiscriminately."  "As  in  U.  S."  Corsets:  Meter  \sic),  yard  (sic),  centimeter,  inch. 
"French  or  American  indiscriminately."  "As  in  U.  S."  Gloves:  Meter  (sic),  yard 
(sic),  inch,  centimeter.  "French  or  American  indiscriminately."  "As  in  U.  S." 
"If  material  is  from  France,  the  meter;  if  from  the  United  States,  the  yard." 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts:  Hectoliter  (sic),  liter  (sic), 
hectare,  sitio,  caballeria,  acre,  kilometer.  In  the  smaller  towns:  Hectoliter  (sic), 
liter  (sic),  hectare,  square  meter,  acre,  kilometer.  In  cities:  Hectoliter  (sic),  liter 
(sic),  hectare,  meter,  square  meter,  acre,  kilometer. 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Foot,  inch,  cubic  foot,  meter,  centimeter,  pulgada,  pie, 
kilogram  (sic). 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Foot,  inch,  meter,  centimeter,  pulgada, 
pie.  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses:  Meter,  centimeter,  vara.  By  Blacksmiths:  Metric. 
By  Stone  and  Brick  Masons:  Foot,  inch,  meter,  square  meter,  kilogram,  centimeter. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Inch,  kilogram,  meter,  centimeter. 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  meter,  square  meter,  meter.  In 
Mines  and  for  Mining  Products:  Cubic  yard,  metric  ton,  square  meter,  kilogram,  onza, 
meter.  In  Smelting  and  for  Smelter  Products:  Foot,  meter,  metric  ton.  Sizes  of 
Pipes  for  Gas,  Water,  Sewers,  Etc.:  Foot,  inch,  meter,  centimeter. 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Meter,  foot,  kilogram.  Marine  Measurements: 
League,  nautical  mile,  cubic  meter,  metric  ton. 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  ton,  arroba,  metric  ton.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Quintal, 
kilogram,  hectoliter,  carga,  cuartillo.  Meat  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram.  Root  Crops  at 
Wholesale:  Kilogram,  quintal.  Coffee  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  kilogram.  Milk  at 
Wholesale:  Liter,  cuartillo,  gallon.  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  pound 
(probably  libra).  Garden  Products  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  quintal.  Rubber  at 
Wholesale:  Pound  (probably  libra),  kilogram. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Kilogram,  kilo- 
meter, metric  ton,  cubic  meter,  mile,  ton.  Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation: 
Kilogram,  kilometer,  carga.  Loads  and  Rates  for  Transportation  by  Muleback  Across 
the  Mountains:  Carga,  arroba,  kilogram,  kilometer.  "The  old  weight  (1  carga  = 
300  libras)  still  holds  its  own  when  dealing  with  muleback  transportation."  Railway 
Track  Gages  and  Length  of  Lines:  Kilometer,  centimeter,  foot,  inch.  Railway  Equip- 
ment (units  used  in  the  construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives,  coaches,  etc.):  Foot, 
inch,  metric  kilogram  (sic).  "  As  in  U.  S."  "  All  transportation  here  is  done  by  boat 
on  a  long-ton  basis." 


24  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

"In  many  cases  the  Spanish  weights  are  used."  "In  many  cases  the  libra  and 
vara  are  used." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Mexico. 

Mexico  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1862. 

NICARAGUA 

(Summary  of  three  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Libra,  kilogram.  Milk:  Liter,  gallon,  botella  (££  gallon).  Butter  and 
Cheese:  Libra,  arroba.  Other  Farm  Products:  Libra,  quintal,  fanega.  Hardware: 
Libra,  kilogram.  Fish:  Libra.  Meat:  Libra.  Flour:  Libra,  kilogram.  Tea  and 
Coffee:  Libra,  quintal. 

Dry  Goods:  Vara,  yard,  meter. 

Fuel:  Libra,  corcada,  marco,  cordal,  cuartillo. 

Tobacco:  Libra. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Inch,  centimeter.  Hats:  "English  and  metric  system." 
Collars:  "English  and  metric  system."  Underwear  and  Hosiery:  "English  and  metric 
system."  Shoes:  Centimeter.  Gloves:  "The  measure  of  the  country  of  origin." 
Corsets:  "The  measure  of  the  country  of  origin." 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts:  Manzana,  hectare,  vara, 
meter.  In  the  smaller  towns.  Manzana,  hectare,  vara,  meter.  In  cities:  Manzana, 
vara,  cuadra,  meter. 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Vara,  pulgada. 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Vara,  pulgada,  tonelada  (sic).  By  Stone 
and  Brick  Masons:  Vara,  pulgada,  tonelada  (sic).  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses: 
Vara,  centimeter,  yard,  meter. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Inch,  centimeter,  vara. 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Vara.  In  Mines  and  for  Mining  Products: 
"  English  system,"  tonelada.  In  Smelting  and  for  Smelter  Products:  "  English  system." 
Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas,  Water,  Sewers,  Etc.:  Inch,  pulgada. 

Grain  at  Wholesale:  Libra,  fanega.  Meat  at  Wholesale:  Arroba,  libra,  kilogram. 
Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Quintal.  Coffee  at  Wholesale:  Libra,  quintal.  Milk  at 
Wholesale:  "Cantaro,  of  about  5  gallons."  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Libra, 
kilogram.  Rubber  at  Wholesale:  Libra,  quintal. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Kilogram,  kilo- 
meter. Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Kilogram.  Loads  and  Rates  for 
Transportation  by  Muleback  Across  the  Mountains:  Libra.  Railway  Track  Gages  and 
Length  of  Lines:  Gage,  foot,  inch;  length,  kilometer.  Rittway  Equipment  (units 
used  in  the  construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives,  cars,  etc.):  "All  American." 

"The  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures  is  the  official  and  lawful  system  of 
the  Republic,  but  owing  to  the  preponderance  of  trade  with  the  United  States,  the 
influences  of  the  system  obtaining  there  are  felt  in  all  commercial  transactions." 
"The  introduction  of  all  imports  is,  however,  based  on  the  kilo,  but  throughout  the 
Republic  articles  are  retailed  by  the  libra.  Liquids  when  imported  are  measured  by 
the  liter,  yet  the  American  gallon  or  quart  is  commonly  known.  Distances  are 
computed  in  kilometers,  but  the  yard  of  36  inches  is  used  almost  as  much  as  the  vara 
of  33  inches  or  the  meter  of  39.37  inches.  So  it  might  be  said  that  the  English  system 
is  almost  as  common  as  the  metric." 

The  report  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department  of 
Commerce  and  Labor,  Part  I,  published  by  the  Department  in  1909,  contains  the 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  25 

following :  The  24-inch  manta  retails  at  40  centavos  a  vara.  The  turkey-red  shirting 
is  mainly  from  England,  retailing  at  80  centavos  a  vara.  The  usual  price  of  a  24-inch 
print  is  60  centavos  a  vara." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Nicaragua. 

PANAMA 

(Summary  of  five  returned  questionnaires.     In  view  of  the  quotation  below,  libra  has 
been  uniformly  interpreted  as  pound) 

Groceries:  Pound,  ounce.  Fruits:  Pound,  ounce.  Milk:  Quart,  botella.  Butter 
and  Cheese:  Pound,  ounce.  Other  Farm  Products:  Pound,  English  quintal.  Hard- 
ware: Pound,  English  quintal.  Fish:  Pound,  English  quintal.  Meat:  Pound,  English 
quintal.  Flour:  Pound,  English  quintal,  "barrel  of  196  pounds."  Tea  and  Coffee: 
Pound,  ounce,  English  quintal. 

Dry  Goods:  Yard,  vara.    Fuel:  Long  ton,  short  ton,  English  quintal,  cord. 

Tobacco:  Pound,  ounce,  English  quintal. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Hats:  Collars:  Underwear  and  Hosiery:  Shoes:  Gloves:  Corsets: 
Inch,  metric.  "The  articles  mentioned  are  imported  almost  exclusively  from  the 
United  States  and  the  measures  are  the  same  as  in  that  country."  "A  few  French 
articles  are  metric  sizes." 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts:  Hectare,  square  meter. 
In  the  smaller  towns:  Hectare,  square  meter.  In  cities:  Square  meter. 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Inch,  foot,  square  and  cubic  foot. 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Inch,  "some  centimeters."  By  Stone  and 
Brick  Masons:  Inch,  centimeter,  "American  generally."  By  Tailors  and  Dress- 
makers:  Yard,  inch,  centimeter,  "American  generally." 

In  Machine  Shops:  Inch,  centimeter,  pound,  English  quintal. 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  meter,  yard.  Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas, 
Water,  Sewers,  Etc.:  Inch. 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Inch,  centimeter.  Marine  Measurement:  Short  ton, 
ton  of  40  cu.  ft.,  marine  mile. 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Pound.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  English  quintal.  Meat  at 
Wholesale:  Pound,  English  quintal.  Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Pound.  Coffee  at 
Wholesale:  Pound,  English  quintal.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Quart,  botella,  gallon. 
Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Pound.  Garden  Products  at  Wholesale:  Pound,  English 
quintal.  Rubber  at  Wholesale:  Pound. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Mile,  pound,  cubic 
foot.  Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Pound.  Railway  Track  Gages  and 
Length  of  Lines:  Inch,  mile.  Railway  Equipment  (units  used  in  the  construction  and 
repairing  of  locomotives,  cars,  etc.):  Inch. 

"The  Spanish  units  are  never  used  here  and  while  the  metric  system  is  the  official 
standard  for  the  country,  with  the  exception  of  lands,  it  is  seldom  used  in  Panama, 
American  (English)  standards  of  weight  and  measure  being  in  universal  use." 

Panama  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1857. 

PERU 

(Summary  of  seven  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Kilogram.  Milk:  Liter,  botella  of  0.75  liter.  Butter  and  Cheese:  Libra, 
kilogram.  Other  Farm  Products:  Libra,  kilogram.  Hardware:  Libra,  pie.  Fish: 


26  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Kilogram,  libra.     Meat:  Kilogram,  libra.     Flour:  Kilogram,  libra.     Tea  and  Coffee: 
Kilogram,  libra. 

Dry  Goods:  Meter,  vara. 

Fuel:  Kilogram,  quintal,  libra. 

Tobacco:  Kilogram.     (Government  monopoly.) 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Centimeter.  Hats:  Centimeter,  "English  numbers." 
Collars:  Centimeter.  Underwear  and  Hosiery:  Centimeter,  "Special  measure." 
Shoes:  Centimeter,  "Special  measure."  Gloves:  Centimeter,  "Special  measure." 
Corsets:  Centimeter. 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts:  Fanegada,  topo,  cuadra, 
square  vara;  "Sale  and  registry  by  the  fanegada."  In  the  smaller  towns:  Square 
meter,  fanegada,  topo,  cuadra;  "Sale  and  registry  by  the  fanegada."  In  cities: 
Square  meter,  square  vara,  fanegada;  "Sale  and  registry  by  the  fanegada." 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Foot,  inch,  square  foot;  "Spanish  foot  for  cedar." 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Foot,  inch,  square  foot,  meter,  "English 
system."  By  Stone  and  Brick  Masons:  Meter,  square  meter,  arroba.  By  Tailors  and 
Seamstresses:  Centimeter,  meter,  yard. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Meter,  inch,  foot,  quintal.  "English  system  chiefly.  A  few 
jobs  for  European-built  machinery  are  handled  on  the  metric  system." 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  meter.  In  Mines  and  for  Mining 
Products:  Tonelada,  metric  ton,  cubic  meter,  gallon  of  3%  liters  for  petroleum  prod- 
ucts. "  Marco,  a  weight  per  cajon  of  12,000  marcos.  Troy  ounces  per  ton.  Grams 
per  metric  ton."  "Spanish,  English  and  metric."  In  Smelting  and  for  Smelter 
Products:  Kilogram,  libra,  foot.  "The  same  as  mining."  Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas, 
Water,  Sewers,  Etc.:  Meter,  foot,  inch,  "Generally  English  feet  and  inches  and  their 
fractions." 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Meter,  foot,  inch,  kilogram,  registered  ton.  "Gener- 
ally the  English  measures."  Marine  Measurements:  Mile,  ton,  cubic  meter,  knot, 
braza  (fathom  of  6  English  feet),  metric  ton.  "Generally  the  English  measures." 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  metric  quintal.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  fanega, 
metric  quintal.  Meat  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  metric  quintal,  libra.  Root  Crops  at 
Wholesale:  Quintal,  metric  quintal,  libra.  Coffee  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  libra  Milk 
at  Wholesale:  Liter.  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Quintal,  kilogram,  libra. 
Garden  Products  at  Wholesale:  Arroba.  Rubber  at  Wholesale:  Tonelada,  kilogram, 
quintal. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Kilometer,  quintal, 
metric  ton,  cubic  meter.  Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Metric  ton,  kilo- 
gram. Loads  and  Rates  for  Transportation  by  Muleback  Across  the  Mountains:  Quirtal, 
per  kilometer.  Railway  Track  Gages  and  Length  of  Lines:  Meter,  kilometer.  Railway 
Equipment  (units  used  in  the  construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives,  cars,  etc.):  Meter, 
foot,  inch,  tonelada,  kilogram. 

"At  the  present  time  there  are  many  who  buy  and  sell,  using  other  measures 
which  are  not  metric  decimal."  "The  metric  system  is  the  legal  system  in  Peru  but 
the  other  measures  named  have  not  yet  been  banished." 

Commerce  Reports  for  April  29,  1918,  contains  a  report  from  Commercial  Attache 
W.  F.  Montavon,  of  Lima,  in  which  are  given  particulars  of  new  Peruvian  exports 
duties.  The  new  rates  provide  for  a  duty  on  copper  bars  per  short  ton,  and  on  sugar, 
cotton  and  wool  per  Spanish  quintal.  Italicized  words  are  verbatim  from  the 
report. 

The  report  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department  of 
Commerce  and  Labor,  Part  IV,  published  by  the  Department  in  1911,  contains  the 
following:  "The  Peruvian  importers  buy  cotton  goods  by  the  yard/the  meter,  or  the 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  27 

vara ....  Although  the  country  has  officially  adopted  the  metric  system,  cloth  is 
always  retailed  by  the  vara." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  the  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Peru. 

Peru  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1862. 

PORTO  RICO 

In  1913,  Mr.  F.  S.  Holbrook,  Associate  Physicist  at  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  went 
to  Porto  Rico  as  the  representative  of  the  Bureau  to  cooperate  with  the  local  legisla- 
ture in  connection  with  weights  and  measures  legislation.  Mr.  Holbrook's  report  of 
his  investigations  contains  the  following:  "This,  then,  was  the  condition  of  affairs 
when  the  work  was  commenced:  The  kilogram,  the  United  States  pound  and  the 
Spanish  libra  or  pound  for  weight ;  the  liter,  the  quart,  the  cuartillo  for  liquid  measure ; 
the  meter,  the  yard  and  the  vara  for  length  measure ;  the  hectare,  the  acre  and  cuerda 
for  land  measure,  were  all  in  use  side  by  side.  A  little  over  50  per  cent,  of  the  weights 
found  in  use  were  of  the  Spanish  system,  the  remainder  being  about  equally  divided 
between  weights  of  the  metric  system  and  of  our  customary  system.  Of  the  liquid 
measures  tested,  the  very  great  majority  were  cuartillos  or  subdivisions  thereof." 

As  the  outgrowth  of  Mr.  Holbrook's  visit  to  Porto  Rico  the  weights  and  measures 
of  the  United  States,  with  the  exception  of  the  bushel  and  its  subdivisions,  were  placed 
"upon  an  equal  basis"  with  the  metric  units,  the  result  being  shown  in  the  following 
reply  to  a  questionnaire  sent  out  by  Mr.  Henry  R.  Towne. 

Legal  Standards:  Metric,  U.  S.,  and  a  few  Spanish. 

Common  Standards:  Metric,  U.  S.,  and  some  Spanish. 

Railroad  Distances:  Kilometers. 

Weights:  Generally  pounds,  but  also  kilos. 

Volume:  Liter,  Spanish  quart,  but  generally  U.  S.  quart. 

Land:  Spanish  cuerda  and  metric  hectare,  the  latter  in  deeds. 

Cubic  Meter:  Used  in  public  contracts. 

Commercial  Use:  Commercial  transactions  on  U.  S.  basis;  Government  transac- 
tions on  metric  basis. 

Domestic  Use:  U.  S.  standards  in  common  use  and  are  legal.  Metric  catalogs  of 
no  use. 

Measuring  Implements:  Both  U.  S.  and  metric  in  common  use. 

Dual  Standards:  Old  Spanish  measures  generally  displaced  by  U.  S.  measures, 
except  the  "cuerda"  for  land  records.  Metric  system  also  legal;  chiefly  used  in 
Government  transactions. 

Adoption  of  Metric  System:  By  Spanish  Government  in  early  90's.  By  local  legis- 
lature in  1898.  U.  S.  Standards  also  legalized  since  latter  date. 

Bookkeeping,  Invoicing,  Etc.:  U.  S.  Standards  used  almost  exclusively. 

The  William  J.  Dines,  Jr.,  Co.  write:  "I  have  been  with  engineers  and  workmen 
in  all  parts  of  the  Island,  and  very  seldom  find  anyone  using  anything  but  the  American 
standard." 

The  report  of  Mr.  Wm.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department 
of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Part  IV,  published  by  the  Department  in  1911,  contains 
the  following:  "In  San  Juan  most  goods  are  retailed  by  the  yard  as  the  people  there 
demand  this  length,  but  in  the  remainder  of  the  island  the  usual  measure  is  the  Spanish 
vara  of  83.6  centimeters." 

All  of  the  above  should  be  compared  with  the  statement  by  Mr.  Fred  R.  Drake 
as  quoted  on  page  130. 


28  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

SAN  SALVADOR 
(Summary  of  one  returned  questionnaire) 

Groceries:  Almud.  Milk:  Liter.  Butler  and  Cheese:  Libra.  Other  Farm  Prod- 
ucts: Libra.  Hardware:  Pound,  quintal.  Fish:  Libra.  Meat:  Libra.  Flour:  Bulto. 
Tea  and  Coffee:  Libra. 

Dry  Goods:  Vara. 

Fuel:  Carga. 

Collars:  English  numbers. 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts;  Manzana,  caballeria.  In 
the  smaller  towns:  Vara,  "with  metric  measures  always  used  in  the  documents." 
In  cities:  Meter  and  millimeter  (sic}. 

By  Stone  and  Brick  Masons:  Vara,  pie,  pulgada.  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses: 
Vara,  meter,  millimeter. 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  meter.  Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas,  Water, 
Sewers,  Etc.:  Inch. 

Grain  at  Wholesale:  Fanega,  arroba.  Meat  at  Wholesale:  Libra.  Coffee  at  Whole- 
sale: Quintal.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Botella.  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Libra. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Cubic  foot,  quintal, 
kilometer.  Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Quintal.  Loads  and  Rates  for 
Transportation  by  Muleback  Across  the  Mountains:  Arroba. 

The  report  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department 
of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Part  I,  published  by  the  Department  in  1909,  contains  the 
following:  "Practically  all  exported  yarn  is  put  up  in  either  five-  or  ten-pound  paper- 
covered  packets  and  either  eighty  or  forty  of  these  packed  to  the  bale.  Yarn  is 
retailed  here  in  ten-pound  lots,  but  two  five-pound  packets  are  preferred  to  one  ten- 
pound.  .  .  .  These  splits  are  20  to  26  inches  wide,  and  retail  at  a  real  a  vara." 

SPANISH  HONDURAS 
(Summary  of  three  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries^  Pound,  arroba.  Fruits:  Pound.  Milk:  Liter,  bottella,  pint.  Butter 
and  Cheese:  Libra,  pound.  Other  Farm  Products:  Pound.  Hardware:  Pound.  Fish: 
Libra,  pound.  Meat:  Libra,  pound.  Flour:  Libra,  pound.  Tea  and  Coffee:  Libra, 
pound. 

Dry  Goods:  Vara,  yard. 

Fuel:  Carga,  pound,  cuerda. 

Tobacco:  Libra,  pound.  • 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Inch,  "Same  as  in  United  States."  Hats:  "American  and 
French  sizes."  Collars:  "American  and  French  sizes."  Underwear  and  Hosiery: 
"American  and  French  sizes."  Shoes:  "American  and  French  sizes."  Gloves: 
"American  and  French  sizes."  Corsets:  "American  and  French  sizes."  "General 
American  sizes  of  wearing  apparel  in  use." 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts:  Caballeria,' manzana, 
hectare.  In  the  smaller  towns:  Caballeria,  manzana,  hectare,  foot.  In  cities: 
Clabaeria,  manzana,  hectare,  foot.  "The  official  standard  is  the  hectare.  Deeds 
in  hectares  and  others  in  manzanas  according  to  original  measure.  In  towns  the 
lots  are  measured  in  English  feet  and  are  so  registered.  Also  large  parcels  hi  the 
country  measured  in  caballerias." 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Laufenberg  rule,  "Exactly  the  same  as  American  sizes." 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Foot,  inch.  By  Stone  and  Brick  Masons: 
Inch,  "American  sizes."  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses:  Metric,  foot. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  29 

In  Machine  Shops:  Inch,  foot,  pound,  "American  sizes." 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Foot,  inch,  "American  sizes."  In  Mines 
and  for  Mining  Products:  Cubic  foot,  ton,  metric  ton,  "American  sizes."  In  Smelting 
and  for  Smelter  Products:  Pound,  ton,  "American  sizes."  Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas,  Water, 
Sewers,  etc.:  "Generally  American  sizes." 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  "Same  as  in  United  States."  Marine  Measurements: 
Foot,  "American  sizes." 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Libra.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Carga,  libra,  medida.  Meat  at 
Wholesale:  Libra,  pound.  Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Pound.  Coffee  at  Wholesale: 
Carga,  libra.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Liter.  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  English 
arroba,  libriado.  Garden  Products  at  Wholesale:  Libra,  pound.  Rubber  at  Wholesale: 
Pound,  libra,  quintal. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Kilogram,  kilo- 
meter, mile.  Loads  and  Rates  for  Transportation  by  Muleback  Across  the  Mountains: 
Arroba,  pound.  Railway  Track  Gages  and  Length  of  Lines:  Foot,  inch,  kilometer. 
Railway  Equipment  (units  used  in  the  construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives,  cars, 
etc.):  "English  units  used  in  repairs." 

"The  English  yard  is  chiefly  used  in  the  larger  and  better  stores.  The  vara  is 
used  frequently  in  smaller  stores  selling  at  retail  to  certain  classes,  but  the  people  are 
accustomed  to  and  demand  the  English  yard."  "All  articles  not  named  above  are 
valued  according  to  agreement  per  arroba  or  carga,  always  keeping  the  English  as  the 
standard.  The  arroba  is  25  pounds  and  the  carga  is  8  arrobas  or  200  pounds." 

The  report  of  Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department  of 
Commerce  and  Labor,  Part  I,  published  by  the  Department  in  1909,  contains  the 
following:  "The  importers  sell  to  the  retailers  by  the  yard  and  the  retailers  sell  at 
practically  the  same  price  by  the  vara  .  .  .  [This  country  has  officially  tried  to 
adopt  the  metric  system,  but  the  natives  cling  to  the  vara  and  the  arroba  as  their 
measures  of  length  and  weight." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  the  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Spanish  Honduras. 


URUGUAY 

(Summary  of  four  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Kilogram.  Milk:  Liter.  Butter  and  Cheese:  Kilogram.  Other  Farm 
Products:  Kilogram.  Hardware:  Kilogram,  meter.  Meat:  Kilogram.  Flour:  Kilo- 
gram. Tea  and  Coffee:  Kilogram. 

Dry  Goods:  Meter. 

Fuel:  Metric  ton. 

Tobacco:  Kilogram. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Centimeter.  Hats:  Centimeter,  English  numbers.  Col- 
lars: Centimeter.  Underwear  and  Hosiery:  Meter,  centimeter,  inch.  Gloves:  "As 
in  North  America."  "Universal  numbering."  Corsets:  Centimeter. 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  In  the  farming  districts:  Hectare.  "The  cuadra 
is  still  commonly  used  but  is  prohibited  in  the  documents."  In  the  smaller  towns: 
Hectare,  square  meter.  In  cities :  Hectare,  square  meter. 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Meter,  centimeter,  Jx>ot,^inch.  "Officially  the  meter, jms- 
tomarily  per  thousand  feet." 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Meter,  centimeter,  English  foot,f  inch, 
"English  foot  and  inch  generally  used."  By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses:  Centimeter, 


30  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

kilo  (sic),  English  measures.     By  Stone  and  Brick  Masons:  Kilogram,  meter,  metric 
ton. 

In  Machine  Shops:  Kilogram.  "Officially  the  meter  and  sub-multiples,  practi- 
cally, following  the  custom,  the  English  inch."  "English  measures  generally." 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Cubic  meter,  meter.  In  Mines  and  for 
Mining  Products:  Kilogram,  cubic  meter.  In  Smelting  and  for  Smelter  Products: 
Kilogram,  metric  ton.  Sizes 'of  Pipe  for  Gas,  Water,  Sewers,  Etc.:  "English  measures, 
but  in  official  and  public  documents  these  are  reduced  to  centimeters."  "Officially 
the  meter,  practically  the  pulgada." 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Metric.  Marine  Measurements:  Mile,  knot,  foot, 
cable,  ton,  meter  for  sounding,  braza,  "but  in  official  and  public  documents  only  the 
decimal  measures  appear."  "Officially  the  kilometer;  to  a  large  extent  the  marine 
mile."  "In  practice  there  is  no  effort  to  abolish  completely  the  English  measures." 
Hay  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  metric  quintal.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram, 
metric  quintal. 

Meat  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram.  .Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Metric  quintal.  Coffee 
at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  metric  quintal.  Milk  at  Wholesale:  Liter,  hectoliter.  Butter 
and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram.  Rubber  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Kilogram,  kilo- 
meter. Railway  Track  Gages  and  Length  of  Lines:  Metric. 

"The  metric  system  only  has  been  used  in  Uruguay  for  at  least  fifty  years  and 
any  one  who  uses  any  other  system  runs  the  risk  of  fine  and  imprisonment ....  In 
the  case  of  land  measurement,  a  few  old  Spanish  measures  are  authorized.  This 
letter,  according  to  the  laws  of  Uruguay,  must  be  copied  in  a  letter-press  book.  Each 
page  of  the  letter-press  book  is  signed  by  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Commerce  Court 
and  may  at  any  time  be  required  in  Court.  By  using  in  our  correspondence  copied 
in  the  letter-press  book  any  terms  of  weights  and  measures  not  recognized  by  law, 
we  run  the  risk  of  punishment."  "The  introduction  of  the  new  system  proved,  how- 
ever, a  difficult  and  tedious  process." 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The  Metric 
System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  the 
metric  system  is  "obligatory"  in  Uruguay. 

Uruguay  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1862. 

VENEZUELA 
(Summary  of  five  returned  questionnaires) 

Groceries:  Libra,  kilogram.  Fruits:  Kilogram,  libra.  Milk:  "Jar  of  27  botellas," 
liter.  Butter  and  Cheese:  Libra,  kilogram.  Other  Farm  Products:  Libra,  metric. 
Hardware:  Libra,  metric.  Fish:  Libra,  kilogram.  Meat:  Libra,  kilogram.  Flour: 
Libra,  kilogram,  arroba.  Tea  and  Coffee:  Libra,  kilogram. 

Dry  Goods:  Vara,  meter,  yard. 

Fuel:  Tonelada,  metric  ton. 

Tobacco:  Metric. 

Ready-made  Clothing:  Inch,  centimeter.  Hats:  Centimeter,  inch.  Collars: 
Centimeter,  inch.  Underwear  and  Hosiery:  Centimeter,  inch.  Shoes:  Centimeter, 
American  numbers,  "An  arbitrary  measure  equal  to  about  %  of  a  centimeter." 
Gloves:  French  numbers,  American  numbers.  Corsets:  Centimeter,  inch.  "The 
measures  of  the  country  from  which  the  goods  are  imported  are  used." 

For  the  Measurement  of  Land:  Hectare,  square  kilometer,  square  league,  sugar  land 
in  bablon  (  =  0.7  hectare),  square  meter. 

Lumber  and  Timber:  Square  pie,  metric. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  31 

By  Carpenters  and  Other  Woodworkers:  Square  pie,  metric.     "Some  carpenters  do 
actually  work  in  English  inches."     By  Tailors  and  Seamstresses:  Centimeter,   vara, 
yard,  meter.     By  Stone  and  Brick  Masons:  Metric,  fanega. 
In  Machine  Shops:  Libra,  foot,  metric. 

In  Contracts  for  Excavation  of  Ground:  Metric.  In  Mines  and  for  Mining  Products: 
Metric.  In  Smelting  and  for  Smelter  Products:  Metric.  Sizes  of  Pipe  for  Gas,  Water, 
Sewers,  Etc.:  Inch,  metric. 

In  Ship  and  Boat  Building:  Metric,  English.  Marine  Measurements:  Metric 
English.  "In  navigation  and  geography  miles  are  used;  for  the  rest,  metric." 

Hay  at  Wholesale:  Metric.  Grain  at  Wholesale:  Kilogram,  metric  quintal,  fanega. 
Meat  at  Wholesale:  Arroba,  metric.  Root  Crops  at  Wholesale:  Metric.  Coffee  at 
Wholesale:  Metric  quintal.  Milk,  Butter  and  Cheese  at  Wholesale:  Metric. 

Railway  Tariff  for  Passengers  and  Freight  (Load  and  Distance) :  Metric  quintal, 
tonelada,  kilometer,  cubic  meter.  Loads  and  Rates  for  City  Transportation:  Metric 
quintal,  kilogram.  Loads  and  Rates  for  Transportation  by  Muleback  Across  the  Moun- 
tains: Metric  quintal.  Railway  Track  Gages  and  Length  of  Lines:  Meter,  kilometer. 
Railway  Equipment  (units  used  in  the  construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives,  cars, 
etc.}:  "Inches  on  English  lines;  metric  units  on  German  railway." 

"  Not  only  is  it  illegal  to  use  any  other  weights  and  measures  [than  those  of  the 
metric  system],  but  a  merchant  is  subject  to  punishment  even  for  having  them  in  his 
possession.  The  importation  of  weights  and  measures  other  than  the  legal  is  also 
prohibited  and  as  the  authorities  have  destroyed  the  old  ones  whereever  possible 
distinct  progress  toward  the  universal  adoption  of  the  new  system  has  been  made. 
In  spite  of  the  stringency  of  the  laws  the  people  at  large,  especially  in  the  country, 
still  cling  to  the  old  units  in  their  every-day  life  and  talk  and  think  in  terms  of  them." 
"The  people  in  the  interior  of  the  country  are  not  at  all  accustomed  to  the  metric 
system  and  always  use  the  old  system." 

Venezuela  "adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1857. 

APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  II 

FORM  LETTER  WHICH  ACCOMPANIED  THE  QUESTIONNAIRES 

MY  DEAR  SIR: 

The  American  Institute  of  Weights  and  Measures,  which  is  composed  of  many  of 
the  leading  engineers  and  manufacturers  of  this  country,  is  engaged  in  an  extended 
investigation  of  the  subject  of  weights  and  measures,  and  it  desires  to  obtain  at  first 
hand  definite  information  regarding  the  units  of  weight  and  measure  (Spanish,  metric, 
and  English)  as  applied  to  the  trade,  commerce  and  industry  of  South  and  Central 
America.  With  this  in  view,  the  accompanying  list  of  questions  has  been  drawn  up 
to  which  we  ask  you  to  kindly  reply  for  your  locality. 

The  thorough  character  of  the  investigation  which  this  Institute  is  undertaking 
will,  we  hope,  impress  you  with  the  importance  of  this  questionnaire,  since,  when  all 
the  replies  are  assembled,  they  will  constitute  a  mass  of  information  which  is  not 
now  in  existence. 

It  is  particularly  desired  that  answers  shall  be  forthcoming  from  the  smaller 
towns  of  the  interior  as  well  as  from  the  principal  cities  of  Latin  America  AND  FROM 
INDUSTRIES  AS  WELL  AS  COMMERCE  in  order  that  the  usage  of  weights  and 
measures  among  the  people  may  be  learned.  To  this  end  we  ask  you  to  kindly  make 
inquiry  among  contractors,  builders,  manufacturers,  and,  if  necessary,  among  artisans. 

Please  distinguish  carefully,  when  necessary,  between  the  metric  and  English  tons, 
between  the  half-gilogram  and  the  Spanish  and  English  pounds,  the  Spanish  and 
metric  quintals,  and  the  Spanish  pulgada  and  the  English  inch.  When  two  or  more 


32  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

units  are  used  for  the  same  purpose,  please  name  them  in  the  order  of  their  frequency. 
When  one  unit  is  chiefly  used,  please  place  after  it  the  word  "Chiefly"  and  similarly, 
when  one  of  the  units  is  used  but  seldom,  kindly  place  after  it  the  word  "Infrequent." 
Your  reply,  esteemed  sir,  will  place  us  under  lasting  obligations  which  we  trust 
we  will  at  some  future  time  have  the  pleasure  and  satisfaction  of  discharging.  In 
the  meantime,  we  beg  to  subscribe  ourselves  with  every  consideration  of  respect  and 
esteem, 

Most  cordially  yours, 

AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES, 

Commissioner. 

QUESTIONNAIRE  NO.  1 

What  are  the  units  of  weight  and  measure  commonly  used  with  relation  to  the 
buying  and  selling  at  retail  of  the  following  products? 

Groceries  Flour 

Fruits  Tea  and  coffee 

Milk,  butter  and  cheese  ;  Dry  goods 

Other  farm  products  Fuel 

Hardware  Tobacco 

Fish  Miscellaneous 
Meat 

QUESTIONNAIRE  NO.  2 

What  are  the  units  of  measure  commonly  used  with  relation  to  buying  and  selling 
articles  of  clothing,  as  follows? 

Ready-made  clothing  Shoes 

Hats  Gloves 

Collars  Corsets 

Underwear  and  hosiery  Miscellaneous 

QUESTIONNAIRE  NO.  3 

What  are  the  units  of  measure  commonly  used  with  relation  to  the  sale  of  lands  and 
filing  of  papers  and  deeds,  as  follows? 

In  the  farming  districts 
In  the  smaller  towns 
In  the  cities 

QUESTIONNAIRE  NO.  4 

What  are  the  units  of  weight  and  measure  commonly  used  in  the  following 
industries? 

Lumber  and  timber  (length  and  thickness  of  boards  and  sizes  of  timbers) 

By  carpenters  and  other  woodworkers 

By  tailors  and  seamstresses 

By  blacksmiths 

In  machine  shops 

In  contracts  for  excavation  of  ground 

In  mines  and  for  mineral  products 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  LATIN  AMERICA  33 

In  smelting  and  for  smelter  products 

Sizes  of  pipes  for  gas,  water,  sewers,  etc. 

In  ship  and  boat  building 

Marine  measurements  (distances,  maps,  charts,  tonnage,  drafts,  freight  rates,  etc.) 

QUESTIONNAIRE  NO.  5 

What  are  the  units  of  weight  and  measure  commonly  used  with  relation  to  the 
buying  and  selling  of  farm  products  at  wholesale,  as  follows? 

Hay  Milk,  butter  and  cheese 

Grain  Garden  products 

Meat  Rubber 

Root  crops  Miscellaneous 
Coffee 

QUESTIONNAIRE  NO.  6 

s 

What  are  the  units  of  weight  and  measure  commonly  used  with  relation  to  trans- 
portation tariffs? 

Railway  tariff  for  passengers  and  freight  (load  and  distance) 
Loads  and  rates  for  city  transportation 

Loads  and  rates  for  transportation  by  muleback  across  the  mountains 
Railway  track  gages  and  length  of  lines 

Railway  equipment  (units  used  in  the  construction  and  repairing  of  locomotives, 
cars,  etc.) 

The  Hill  Publishing  Company's  questionnaire  was  considerably  abbreviated  from 
the  above. 


•      CHAPTER  III 
THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE 

The  renewal  of  the  agitation  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system, 
because  of  the  speciously  plausible  assumption  that  it  is  necessary  in 
the  interest  of  foreign  trade,  has  made  necessary  the  investigation  which 
is  herein  summarized. 

This  assumption  is  known  to  be  untrue  by  manufacturers  and  others 
who  are  in  touch  with  export  trade.  Those  who  are  properly  informed 
know  perfectly  well  that  our  standard  system  of  weights  and  measures 
is  not,  and  never  has  been,  an  obstacle  to  the  sale  of  our  products  abroad. 

In  normal  times,  we  import  large  numbers  of  high-class  French  clocks, 
and,  similarly,  we  export  tens  of  thousands  of  cheap  clocks  to  all  parts 
of  the  world.  It  would  be  absurd  for  an  American  purchaser  to  object 
to  a  French  clock  because  it  was  made  to  the  metric  system,  and  equally 
absurd  to  suppose  that  a*  foreign  purchaser  would  object  to  our  clocks 
because  they  are  made  to  the  English  system.  To  come  still  nearer 
home,  American  watches  are  made  to  both  the  English  and  the  metric 
systems,  but  not  one  watch  owner  in  a  thousand  knows  or  cares  to  which 
system  his  watch  was  made.  You,  gentle  reader,  do  not  know  and  never 
gave  the  matter  a  thought. 

Again,  in  former  days,  when  France  led  in  the  automobile  industry, 
large  numbers — for  those  days — of  French  machines  were  imported  into 
this  country  regardless  of  the  fact  that  they  were  made  to  the  metric 
system.  Today  the  situation  is  reversed.  The  American  automobile 
industry  has  conquered  the  markets  of  the  world,  its  products  selling 
in  metric  and  non-metric  countries  alike  and  regardless  of  the  fact  that 
they  are  made  to  the  English  system. 

In  the  broader  view,  in  normal  times  we  import  vast  quantities  of 
goods  from  metric  countries  which  we  buy  without  thought  or  question 
of  the  units  of  measurement  to  which  they  are  made.  Just  as  metric 
countries  give  no  thought  to  the  adoption  of  the  English  system  in  order 
to  sell  goods  to  us,  so  there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  consider  adopting 
the  metric  system  in  order  to  sell  goods  to  them. 

These  simple  facts  are  known  to  all  who  have  intelligent  knowledge  of 
export  trade,  for  whom  this  work  is  one  of  supererogation.  It  is,  however, 
to  demonstrate  these  facts  by  a  flood  of  evidence  and  for  the  benefit  of 
the  uniformed  that  this  investigation  has  been  made  and  this  report 
prepared. 

34 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  35 

Herein  is  summarized  the  experience  of  284  manufacturers  who  have 
been  engaged  in  export  trade  for  from  10  to  20  years,  225  from  20  to  40 
years,  48  from  40  to  60  years,  and  10  from  60  to  100  years  and  more. 
This  experience  includes  that  of  not  only  the  oldest,  but  also  the  largest 
of  our  manufacturing  corporations,  the  names  of  some  of  which  are 
known  throughout  the  civilized  world. 

One  of  those  whose  report  is  here  included,  has  been  engaged  in  export 
trade  for  "over  a  century,  "  another  for  107,  and  another  for  135  years 
without  finding  any  need  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system,  for  the 
benefit  of  such  trade.  Plainly,  the  convenient  assumptions  of  those  who 
have  no  knowledge  of,  or  contact  with,  export  trade  but  who  do  have 
a  case  on  their  hands  to  prove,  count  for  nothing  in  the  face  of  the  expe- 
rience of  such  a  list  of  those  who  are  actually  engaged  in  such  trade. 

In  view  of  the  thoroughness  of  the  inquiry,  this  report  may  fairly 
be  regarded  as  a  census  of  the  use  of  the  metric  system  in  this  country. 

The  inquiry  took  the  form  of  a  questionnaire,  which  was  sent  to  the 
following  lists  of  manufacturers: 

1.  The  members  of  the  American  Institute  of  Weights  and  Measures, 
of  whom  many  are  exporters.    ' 

2.  The  members  of  the  American  Manufacturers  Export  Association. 

3.  Those  included  in  a  card  list  of  exporting  manufacturers  compiled 
by  the  American  Manufacturers  Export  Association. 

The  total  number  of  those  to  whom  questionnaires  were  sent  exceeded 
6,000.  No  selections  were  made  from  these  lists,  the  questionnaire  being 
sent  to  every  name  upon  them.  The  number  of  countable  replies  re- 
ceived was  1,445. 

The  promise  of  a  copy  of  our  report  to  each  one  who  answered  the 
questionnaire  (see  Form  Letter  No.  1  below)  brought  many  replies  from 
those  who  added  to  their  questionnaires  that  they  did  no  export  business, 
or  that  their  export  business  was  confined  to  English  speaking  countries. 
Such  questionnaires,  having  no  significance,  were  not  counted.1 

A  considerable  number  of  replies  were  received,  filled  out  in  due 
and  proper  form,  except  that  they  were  unsigned.  Such  questionnaires 
were  not  counted,  except  that  unsigned  questionnaires  enclosed  with 
signed  letters  or  in  envelopes  carrying  printed  firm  or  corporate  names 
and  addresses  were  counted. 

A  few  replies  were  received  from  exporting  merchants  but,  since  it  is 
physically  impossible  for  a  merchant  to  record  on  one  sheet  the  practice 
in  producing  the  numerous  products  in  which  he  deals,  such  replies  were 
not  counted.  This  was  foreseen  and  provided  for  in  the  first  paragraph 

1  From  the  standpoint  of  export  trade,  as  distinguished  from  export  trade  with 
metric  countries,  these  latter  replies  (which,  of  course,  show  no  use  of  the  metric 
system)  should  have  been  counted.  The  metricites  in  their  enthusiasm  for  their 
hobby,  forget  that  their  argument  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  to  facilitate 
trade  with  metric  countries  is  an  argument  against  it,  for  trade  with  other  countries. 


36  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

of  Form  Letter  No.  1,  by  which  the  inquiry  was  restricted  to  exporting 
manufacturers. 

The  questionnaire  was  sent  out  with  Form  Letter  No.  1.  The  ques- 
tionnaire itself  follows  Form  Letter  No.  1. 

Dear  Sirs: 

In  accordance  with  the  purpose  of  the  Constitution  of  this  Institute  to  investigate 
the  usage  of  weights  and  measures  in  their  various  applications,  we  enclose  to  you, 
and  to  a  large  number  of  exporting  American  manufacturers,  a  questionnaire  in- 
tended to  discover  at  first  hand  how  much  truth  there  may  be  in  the  assertion  that 
this  country  should  adopt  the  metric  system  if  it  expects  to  succeed  in  the  cultivation 
of  foreign  markets. 

Such  an  inquiry  is  obviously  a  necessary  preliminary  to  the  proper  consideration 
of  a  change  in  our  fundamental  units  of  weight  and  measure,  but,  until  now,  no  effort 
has  been  made  in  any  quarter  to  conduct  one.  You  will,  we  are  sure,  agree  that  it  is 
a  matter  of  first  importance  and  we  believe  you  will  be  glad  to  assist  us  by  filling 
out  and  returning  the  blanks  of  the  questionnaire. 

This  questionnaire  represents  but  a  small  part  of  the  investigations  which  we 
have  in  progress,  and  your  cooperation  is  of  even  greater  importance  than  here 
appears. 

In  order  that  you  may  retain  a  copy  for  your  files  in  convenient  form,  the  blanks 
are  enclosed  in  duplicate. 

When  completed  and  published  a  copy  of  our  report  will  be  forwarded  to  all 
who  show  interest  by  supplying  the  asked  for  data. 

Please  answer  whether  you  do  or  do  not  use  the  metric  system.  We  want  the 
facts  on  both  sides. 

Form  Letter  No.  1 


1917. 

American  Institute  of  Weights  and  Measures, 

20  Vesey  Street,  New  York. 
Gentlemen: 

Referring  to  your  inquiry  regarding  our  experience  with  weights  and  measures 
in  foreign  trade,  you  will  find  that  experience  summarized  below: 

We  have  been  engaged  in  foreign  trade  for years. 

Our  line  of  products  consists  of 

In  our  factory  work,  and  in  order  to  adapt  our  goods  to  the  needs  of  buyers  in 
metric  countries,  we  have  found  it  desirable  to  abandon  English  measures  and  use, 
instead,  metric  measures  for  the  various  dimensions  of  our  products  to  the  following 
extent: 


Not  at  all 


Slightly 


Considerably 


Extensively 


Exclusively 


Make  a  cross 
in  the  appro- 
priate square. 


Exclusively  is  understood  to  mean  the  absence  of  all  English  dimensions  in  the 
product — not  a  few  metric  dimensions  in  every  shipment. 

Remarks  and  Particulars 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE 


37 


We  have  found  it.  advisable  to  pack  our  goods  for  trade  with  metric  countries  in" 
containers  of  metric  dimensions  or  containing  metric  weights  to  the  following  extent: 


Not  at  all 

Slightly 

Considerably 

Extensively 

Exclusively 

Make  a  cross 
in  the  appro- 
priate square. 


Remarks  and  Particulars 


In  our  literature  for  and  correspondence  with  metric  countries,  we  have  found  it 
advisable  to  give  information  regarding  weights,  output,  capacities,  over  all  di- 
mensions, etc.,  in  metric  terms  as  follows: 


Not  at  all 


Slightly 


Considerably 


Extensively 
Exclusively 


Make  a  cross 
in  the  appro- 
priate square. 


Remarks,  and  Particulars 


Yours  very  truly, 
The  Questionnaire. 


THE   FIRST  QUESTION 

In  our  factory  work,  and  in  order  to  adapt  our  goods  to  the  needs  of  buyers  in 
metric  countries,  we  have  found  it  desirable  to  abandon  English  measures  and  use, 
instead,  metric  measures  for  the  various  dimensions  of  our  products  to  the  following 
extent : 

This  question  is  by  far  the  most  important  of  the  three.  When  a 
manufacturer  makes  his  products  to  the  millimeter  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
inch,  he  has,  in  truth,  adopted  the  metric  system  and  until  he  does  that, 
he  has  not  adopted  it.  The  giving  of  catalog  information  in  metric 
terms  is  a  use  of  the  metric  system,  but  a  use  exactly  comparable  with 
the  use  of  the  Spanish  language  in  catalogs  for  Spanish  America  and  is 
no  more  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  than  the  printing  of  such 
catalogs  is  the  adoption  of  the  Spanish  language. 

The  fact  that  the  commercial  use  of  weights  and  measures  is  before 
us  in  every  business  transaction  of  e very-day  life  leads  many,  including 
substantially  all  of  the  metric  party,  to  assume  the  commercial  use  to  be 
of  paramount  importance,  and,  indeed,  to  ignore  the  factory  use.  When 


38 


THE  METRIC  FALLACY 


we  reflect  that,  excepting  some  food  stuffs,  substantially  everything 
we  buy  is  made  before  it  is  sold,  that  factory  measurements  largely 
outnumber  (frequently  100  and  sometimes  1000  to  1)  those  which  appear 
in  sales  transactions,  that  commercial  measurements  are  usually  the 
roughest  approximations  while  factory  measurements  are  often  of  the 
highest  degree  of  refinement  by  precision  measuring  instruments  devel- 
oped for  that  purpose,  we  find  that  the  primary,  important  measurements 
of  civilization  are  those  made  in  the  production  of  commodities. 

In  19  cases  returned  questionnaires  included  different  lines  of  products 
in  the  production  of  some  of  which  the  metric  system  is  used  and  in 
others  not.  In  some  of  these  cases  the  fact  was  noted  in  the  question- 
naires, and  in  others  it  was  brought  out  by  Form  Letter  No.  21.  These 
19  cases  have  been  added  to  the  summary  of  industries  below,  but  not 
to  the  tabulated  summary  of  the  answers. 

Replies  to  the  first  question  are  summarized  in  Table  No.  1. 


Count  of  returns 

Per  cent. 

Not  at  all  

1189 

82.3 

Slightly  . 

160 

11  2 

Considerably  

29 

2.0 

Extensively  .  . 

16 

1  1 

Exclusively 

5 

0  3 

No  reply  to  this  question  .  .     .      .            

46 

3.1 

Total  

1445 

100.00 

TABLE  1. — SUMMARY  OP  REPLIES  TO  THE  FIRST  QUESTION 
NO   USE   OF  METRIC   SYSTEM   IN   PRODUCTION 

The  following  extracts  from  letters  make  a  suitable  introduction  to 
this  phase  of  the  subject. 

The  American  Printing  Company  (textiles)  write : 

"We  have  equipped  some  of  our  cloth  folding  machines  to  record  meters  in- 
stead of  yards  so  that  we  can  meet  requirements  for  lengths  in  meters,  but  practically 
all  our  goods  for  export  are  measured  in  yards." 


1  FORM  LETTER  NO.  2 

Gentlemen : 

Referring  to  your  returned  questionnaire  in  which  you  say  that  you  use  the  metric 
system  "considerably"  in  the  manufacture  of  your  products,  and  give  as  your  products 

, , ,  etc."     I  write  to  ask  if  your  notation  refers  to  all  of  these  products, 

or  to  only  a  portion  of  them,  and  in  the  latter  case,  to  which  ones. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  39 

The  American  Rolling  Mill  Company  (iron  plates,  sheets,  and  billets, 
in  export  trade  7  years)  write: 

"In  many  Latin  markets,  the  English  measurement  system  has  been  adopted 
for  our  line  of  goods  by  the  majority  of  buyers." 

The  American  Stove  Company  (stoves;  in  export  trade  "many" 
years)  write: 

"As  to  factory  methods  of  measurement,  we  have  made  no  change  whatever  in 
order  to  adapt  our  goods  for  export.  All  of  our  goods  are  made  to  English  standards 
of  measurement." 

The  Babcock  Printing  Press  Manufacturing  Company  (printing 
machinery;  in  export  trade  30  years)  write: 

"We  consider  the  proposition  of  changing  our  system  of  weights  and  measures  to 
the  metric  system  as  no  more  necessary  or  desirable  than  teaching  the  men  in  our  shop 
the  language  of  the  country  in  which  the  machine  is  to  be  run." 

The  Berger  Manufacturing  Company  (sheet  metal  products;  in 
export  trade  15  years)  write: 

"We  find  that  customers  [in  metric  countries]  are  invariably  acquainted  with  our 
system  and  that  they  are  able  to  make  conversions  into  our  weights  and  measures 
the  same  as  we  do  when  an  inquiry  conies  to  us  in  metric." 

The  Black-Clawson  Company  (paper  mill  machinery;  in  export 
trade  25  years)  write : 

"We  have  had  no  trouble  whatever  using  English  measures." 

The  Boston  Pressed  Metal  Company  (metal  stampings;  in  export 
trade  10  years)  write: 

"France,  Russia,  Argentine,  Brazil,  Denmark,  Australia  and  Canada  use  regular 
stock  of  inch  sizes." 

The  Bristol  Patent  Leather  Company  (in  export  trade  12  years) 
write : 

"The  largest  leather  producing  countries  use  the  square  foot  as  their  basis.  There- 
fore, the  square  foot  is  a  familiar  unit  even  in  countries  using  the  metric  system." 

F.  W.  Brody  &  Co.  (cotton  seed  products,  in  export  trade  "many" 
years)  who  reply  Not  at  All  to  all  of  our  questions,  add  : 

"And  our  exports  the  past  season  were  approximately  $1,000,000." 

The  Brown  Folding  Machine  Company  (paper  folding  machinery/ 
in  export  trade  20  years)  write : 

"We  cannot  recall  any  instance  where  we  have  been  asked  to  give  anything  but 
United  States  standard  weights  and  measures." 

The  Brown  Portable  Conveymg  Machinery  Co.  (portable  conveying 
machinery;  in  export  trade  6  years)  write: 

''The  foreign  buyer  buys  from  our  standard  sizes  nearest  to  his  approximate 
metric  requirements." 


40  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

The  Collins  Company  (edge  tools,  in  export  trade  70  years)  write: 

"  Our  business  is  nine-tenths  with  foreign  countries.  We  have  no  need  whatever 
to  use  the  metric  system  in  our  business." 

The  Cudahy  Packing  Company  (packing-house  products;  in  export 
trade  for  30  years)  write: 

"We  do  an  export  business  amounting  to  many  million  dollars  per  annum,  but 
have  not  found  it  necessary  to  mark  our  goods  with  anything  but  the  usual  English 
weights." 

The  Cadillac  Automobile  Company  write: 

"We  have  been  shipping  automobiles  abroad  for  15  years  and  have  never 
had  the  question  of  metric  measurements  raised  by  any  of  our  correspondents  or 
customers  abroad." 

Curtis  and  Marble  Machine  Company  (cloth  finishing  machinery; 
in  export  trade  40  years)  write: 

'•Where  the  goods  are  measured  by  the  roll  or  drum  system,  we  use  the  regular 
yard  circumference  drum  and  then  use  compensating  gears  to  reduce  this  to  meters. 
In  the  South  American  trade  there  are  four  or  five  different  lengths  used,  none  of 
them  metric  and  each  a  specific  measurement  for  individual  countries." 

The  Benjamin  Eastwood  Company  (textile  machinery)  write: 
"  There  is  no  call  for  the  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures  in  building  textile 
machinery  for  export.     We  have  had  many  inquiries  and  cannot  remember  a  single 
instance  where  the  inquiry  has  specified  that  the  machinery  must  be  built  under  the 
metric  system." 

The  Chase  Turbine  Manufacturing  Company  (wood  working 
machinery;  in  export  trade  40  years)  write: 

"One  customer  has  a  scale  attached  to  the  machine  to  indicate  width  of  opening. 
This  scale  is  graduated  according  to  the  metric  system." 

The  William  J.  Dines,  Jr.  Company  (plantation  machinery;  in  export 
trade  6  years)  write: 

"When  we  receive  orders  for  machinery,  it  is  usual  to  receive  a  sketch  showing  the 
proposed  installation  and  the  dimensions  are  more  often  given  in  feet  and  inches  than 
in  the  metric  measures  even  from  countries  using  the  metric  system. 

The  Dodge  Steel  Pulley  Corporation  (steel  pulleys;  in  export  trade 
17  years)  write: 

"All  made  in  English  dimensions." 

.    Eastman,  Gardiner  &  Company   (building  lumber;  in  export  trade 
12  years)  write: 

"  After  the  meeting  of  the  National  Foreign  Trade  Council  last  year  during  which 
meeting  the  matter  of  the  metric  system  for  foreign  business  was  brought  up,  we 
took  the  matter  up  with  our  foreign  agents  in  France,  Belgium,  Germany,  Italy  and 
England  and  asked  them  if  there  would  be  any  advantage  in  our  adopting  the  metric 
system  in  figuring  lumber.  They  stated  that  although  the  metric  system  was  used 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  41 

in  some  of  the  above  countries  that  in  lumber,  the  buyers  were  so  accustomed  to 
using  the  English  measure  that  it  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  make  any  change  in 
our  method  of  figuring." 

Fairbanks,  Morse  &  Company  write: 

"We  have  been  actively  engaged  in  developing  foreign  trade  for  th&  past  15 
years  and  our  experience  touches  practically  every  country  in  the  world.  The  lines 
of  goods  that  we  manufacture  and  sell  abroad  are  quite  varied,  embracing  internal 
combustion  engines,  steam,  power,  and  centrifugal  pumps,  electrical  dynamos  and 
motors,  railway  supplies  and  windmills. 

We  are,  of  course,  sending  our  goods  to  countries  where  the  metric  system  is 
used,  but  we  have  not  seen  any  necessity  whatever  for  abandoning  the  English 
standard  of  weights  and  measures." 

The  Fawcus  Machine  Company  (gears  and  gear  drives:  in  export 
trade  16  years)  write: 

"On  one  occasion  we  made  some  special  machinery  to  drawings  furnished  by  a 
customer  in  Spain  on  which  metric  dimensions  were  used.  We  readily  transcribed 
them  into  English." 

The  II.  P.  Hazzard  Company  (men's  shoes;  in  export  trade  10  years) 
write : 

"We  have  never  had  called  to  our  attention  any  metric  system  for  designating 
sizes  of  boots  and  shoes." 

The  Hess  Machine  Works  (file  making  machinery;  in  export  trade 
25  years)  write: 

"We  have  exported  to  all  parts  of  the  world  where  files  are  manufactured  and  we 
have  never  departed  from  the  American  standard." 

The  Independent  Pneumatic  Tool  Company  (portable  pneumatic 
tools;  in  export  trade  24  years)  write: 

"We  have  never  used  the  metric  system  nor  have  we  been  asked  to  do  so." 

The  Lauderdale  Cotton  Mills  (colored  cotton  goods;  in  export  trade 
4  years  and  who  place  their  cross  in  the  Not  at  All  line)  write : 
"Our  entire  output  is  being  exported." 

The  Metals  Specialties  Company  (metal  specialties)  write: 
"We  are  shipping  goods  to  all  foreign  countries  and  we  do  not  use  the  metric 
system  in  any  way  whatsoever." 

The  National  Radiator  Company  (steam  radiators,  boilers  and  fittings) 
write : 

"Our  foreign  customers  have  taken  our  products  just  as  we  manufacture  them  for 
domestic  trade." 

The  Penn  Engineering  Company  (steam  and  water  specialities,  in 
export  trade  18  years)  write: 

"  We  have  never  used  anything  except  English  measures,  nor  found  any  need  to 
change  at  any  time." 


42  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

The  Russell  Burdsall  &  Ward  Bolt  &  Nut  Company  (bolts,  nuts, 
rivets  and  washers;  in  export  trade  20  years)  write: 

"We  ship  our  goods  to  almost  every  country  throughout  the  world  and  find  that 
the  English  weights,  measures,  etc.,  are  generally  satisfactory." 

William  Sellers  &  Company  (machine  tools  and  power  transmission 
machinery;  in  export  trade  60  years)  write: 

"Notwithstanding  the  large  volume  of  foreign  inquiry  we  receive,  so  little  of  it 
calls  for  adherence  to  the  metric  system  as  to  be  practically  negligible." 

The  Southern  States  Lumber  Company  (long  leaf  yellow  pine  lumber, 
in  export  trade  19  years)  write: 

"Up  to  18  or  20  years  ago,  our  French  buyers  required  their  flooring  boards  to  be 
measured  in  metrical  feet1  of  13^  English  inches,  but  since  then,  English  measures 
have  prevailed  in  that  market." 

The  Standard  Sanitary  Manufacturing  Company  (plumbing  fixtuies, 
in  export  trade  20  years)  write : 

"Our  trade  is  using  English  dimensions  more  and  more.  Requisitions  are  now 
seldom  written  up  in  the  metric  system." 

The  Triumph  Manufacturing  Company  (bakery  machinery;  in  export 
trade  12  years)  write: 

"We  find  that  while  certain  foreigners  have  been  taught  the  metric  system,  they 
more  readily  adapt  themselves  to  the  English  measures." 

The  Wheeler-Schebler  Carburetor  Company  (carburetors)  write: 

"We  have  had  no  occasion  to  use  the  metric  system  in  the  manufacture  of  our 
products." 

The  Walter  A.  Wood  Mowing  and  Reaping  Machine  Company,  who 
reply  Not  at  All  to  all  of  our  questions,  say : 

"We  do  a  large  export  trade  in  Scandinavia,  France,  Germany,  Russia,  Austria- 
Hungary  and  Roumania." 

The  Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Company  (mining,  hoisting,  and  vessel 
unloading  machinery)  write: 

"We  do  not  use  the  metric  system  in  our  shops,  and  have  had  practically  no  request 
to  use  it  from  our  foreign  customers." 

Representatives  of  the  following  industries  reply  to  the  first  question 
regarding  the  use  of  the  metric  system  in  the  production  of  their  goods 
for  export  by  placing  their  crosses  in  the  Not  at  All  line.  The  figures  in 
parentheses  following  each  industry  give  the  number  of  manufacturers 
so  reporting. 

The  reader  will  note  especially  the  number  of  chemical  industries  in 
this  list  which  show  that  manufacturing,  as  distinguished  from  labo- 
ratory, chemistry  is  conducted  on  the  English  system.  The  numerous 
electrical  industries  which  follow  the  English  system  show  that  the  pre- 
vailing impression  that  the  electrical  is  a  metric  industry  is  unfounded. 

Many  of  the  industries  of  this  list,  such  as  chemicals,  agricultural 

1  This  expression  obviously  refers  to  the  foot  of  the  old  French  system  which  has 
the  value  given. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  43 

machinery,  mining  machinery,  etc.,  produce  not  one,  but  great  lines 
of  products.  Such  industries,  however,  appear  as  single  items,  the  life,, 
being  not  one  of  products,  but  of  industries. 

If  the  reader  will  search  this  list  for  an  industry  of  which  the  sale- 
ability  of  the  product  would  be  increased  by  the  adoption  of  the  metric 
system,  his  failure  to  find  one  will  teach  him  more  than  all  the  arguments 
he  can  read. 

Automobiles  and  automobile  trucks  (22).  Automobile  accessories 
(4).  Air  compressors  (6).  Agricultural  implements  (18).  Agricultural 
and  harvesting  machinery  (9).  Automobile  frames  (2).  Automobile 
greases  (1).  Automobile  lamps  (1).  Automobile  and  wagon  axles  (1). 
Air  brakes  (2).  Automobile  soap  (1).  Automobile  parts  (2).  Adding 
machines  (5).  Automobile  radiators  (1).  Automobile  and  wagon 
springs  (1).  Anti-skid  chains  (1).  Asphalt  (1).  Athletic  goods  (1). 
Asbestos  (1).  Abrasives  (3).  Animal  and  poultry  remedies  (1).  Art 
metal  goods  (1).  Aluminum  goods  (1).  Addressing  machines  (1). 
Accounting  devices  (1).  Artificial  arms  (1).  Architectural  terra-cotta 
(1).  Aeroplanes  (1).  Ammunition  (1).  Air  rifles  (1).  Atomizers 
(1).  Airhoists  (1). 

Boots  and  shoes  (21).  Barbers'  furniture  and  supplies  (2).  Brick 
making  machinery  (3).  Bottle  washing  machines  (2).  Bottle  blowing 
machines  (1).  Bottlers'  machinery  (2).  Bottle  wiring  tools  (1). 
Bottle  labeling  machines  (1).  Bedsteads,  brass  and  iron  (5).  Boiler 
feed  regulators  (1).  Boiler  compounds  (1).  Bolts,  nuts  and  rivets  (4). 
Biscuits  (2).  Balls  (2).  Bending  machines  (1).  Brake  lining  (2). 
Buttons  (1).  Button  fastening  machines  (1).  Ball  bearings  (1). 
Belt  hooks  and  tools  (2).  Belt  preservatives  (1).  Box  strapping  (1). 
Brazing  compounds  (1).  Bronze  bearings  (1).  Bags  and  canvas 
goods  (2).  Bicycles  (1).  Books  (1).  Boiler  tubes  (1).  Bolt  clippers 
(1).  Bee-keepers'  supplies  (1).  Bakery  machinery  (1).  Braids  (1). 
Belting  (2).  Brass  and  copper  sheets,  wire  and  other  goods  (6).  Box 
shooks  (1).  Blankets  (1).  Boiler  shop  equipment  (1).  Blast  furnace 
equipment  (1). 

Chains,  including  chain  belting  (6).  Cutting  tools  (14).  Carbon 
paper  (3).  Cranes  (6).  Confectionery  (5).  Conveying  machinery 
(4).  Carbureters  (2).  Cement  machinery  (3).  Concrete  machinery 
(8).  Coal  (6).  Coke  (4).  Chemicals,  including  crude  drugs  (19). 
Cement  including  Portland,  rubber  and  iron  (8).  Cordage,  including 
twine  (4).  Cocoa  and  chocolate  (2).  Corsets  and  accessories  (1). 
Cooperage  (1).  Cooperage  material  (1).  Cooperage  machinery  (1). 
Clocks  (2).  Corn  shellers  (2).  Copper  (2).  Cotton  Waste  (1).  Cot- 
ton seed  oil  machinery  (1).  Centrifugals  (1).  Cream  separators 
(1).  Check  protecting  devices  (1).  Crockery  (1).  Carriages  (1). 
Conduit  for  electric  wires  (1).  Chewing  gum  (2).  Currant  cleaning 


44  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

machines  (1).  Cars  for  railways  (2).  Cutlery  (1).  Cardboard  (1). 
Coff ee  mills  (1).  Coal  handling  machinery  (2).  Culverts  (1).  Children's 
sleds  (1).  Clay  working  machinery  (1).  Catenary  bridges  (1).  Cook- 
ing utensils  (1).  Crown  corks  (1).  Chairs  (1).  Car  wheels  (2).  Car 
axles  (1).  C reoso ted  timber  products  (1).  Collapsible  tubes  (1).  Con- 
tractors' machinery  (2).  Caseine  (1).  Cotton  linters,  waste  (1). 
Candles  and  stearine  (1).  Cutting  machines  (1).  Cotton  gin  machinery 
(1).  Cigar  and  cigarette  machinery  (1).  Confectionery  machinery  (1). 
Cash  registers  (1).  Cotton  seed  products  (1).  Counting  machines  (2). 
Chemical  wood  pulp  (1).  Corduroy  (1).  Car  couplers  (1).  Cotton 
duck  (2).  Conduit  fillings  (1).  Coal  mining  machinery  (1).  Coaster 
brakes  (1). 

Dental  furniture,  equipment  and  supplies  (5).  Drop  forgings  (1). 
Dyeing  machines  (2).  Dairy  machinery  (2).  Dustless  dusters  (i). 
Disinfecting  apparatus  (1).  Duplicating  machines  (1).  Drawing  tables 
(1).  Doors  and  sash  (2).  Disinfectants  (1).  Druggists'  labels  (1). 
Dye  stuffs  and  dyewood  products  (4).  Drawing  rolls  (1). 

Electric  generators  and  motors  (14).  Electric  controllers  (2). 
Electric  light  supplies  (3).  Electric  specialties  (3).  Electric  industrial 
trucks  (1).  Electric  furnaces  (1).  Electric  pumps  (1).  Electric 
wiring  devices  (1).  Electric  wire  cutters  (1).  Electric  air  compressors 
(1).  Electric  arc  welding  equipment  (1).  Electric  dental  engines  (1). 
Electric  vacuum  cleaners  (1).  Electric  heating  devices  (2).  Electric 
signaling  apparatus  (1).  Electric  measuring  instruments  (2).  Electric 
fans  (2).  Electric  transformers  (2).  Electrical  fuses  (1).  Electrical 
material  (1).  Electrical  porcelain  (1).  Electrically  driven  tools 
(4).  Electrodes  (1).  Enamelled  physicians'  furniture  (1).  Elevating 
machinery  (1).  Excavating  machinery  (1).  Explosives  (1),  Envelopes 
(1).  Etching  material  (1).  Evaporated  milk  (1).  Expanded  metal 
reinforcements  (1).  Elevators  (1).  Embroidery  and  laces  (1).  Engin- 
eers' and  surveyors'  instruments  (2).  Enamelled  ware  (6). 

Food  products,  including  cereals,  canned  goods,  packing-house,  fruit 
and  soup  (24).  Forging  machines  (2).  Fans  (2).  Fibreboard  (2). 
Firearms,  sporting  (4).  Firearms,  military  (2).  Flour  (5).  Feed  (4). 
Flour  mill  machinery  (1).  Firebrick  (3).  Felt  (2).  Food  choppers 
(1).  Fire  door  fixtures  (1).  Feed  mills  (1).  Feed  and  ensilage  cutters 
(1;.  Filing  cases  (1).  Fire  apparatus  (1).  Fire  alarm  signals  (1). 
Forges  (1).  Foundry  equipment  (2).  Furnaces  (3).  Filters  and 
filter  presses  (2).  Flexible  shafts  (1).  Fertilizer  machinery  (1).  Flat- 
irons  (1).  Fire  resisting  paints  (1).  Fibre  conduit  (l).  Fare  registers 
(1).  Files  and  rasps  (1).  File  making  machinery  (1).  Feed  water 
heaters  (1).  Floor  and  wall  tile  (1).  Fireless  cookers  (1).  Ferro 
alloys  (1).  Featherbone  dress  stays  (1).  Fly  papor  (1).  Fuel  econ- 
omizers (1).  Fermented  liquors  (2). 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  45 

Grinding  wheels  (4).  Grinding  mills  (1).  Grinding  wheel  dressers 
(1).  Gas,  gasoline,  and  oil  engines,  large  and  small  (12).  Glass,  in- 
cluding plate,  window,  table,  bottles,  etc.  (8).  Gasoline  handling 
equipment  (1).  Gasoline  lighting  system  (1).  Gold  milling  machinery 
(1).  Gun  carriages  (1).  Glass  enamelled  apparatus  (1).  Gas  producers 
(1).  Gasoline  locomotives  (1).  Gas  water  heaters  (1).  Gas  burners 
(1).  Gas  and  gasoline  stoves  (1).  Gear  wheels  (3) .  Glue  (2).  Gaskets 
and  packings  (1).  Gas  meters  (1).  Gravity  conveyors  (1).  Garters 
(3).  Graphite  (1).  Geared  hand  brakes  (1).  Garbage  receivers  (1). 
Gelatine  (1). 

Hoisting  machinery  (2).  Hosiery  (10).  Hosiery  knitting  machines 
(1).  Horseshoes  (2).  Handles  for  shovels,  etc.  (2).  Horseshoe  calks 
(1).  Hacksaw  blades  (1).  Hydrants  (1).  Hot  water  heaters  (1). 
Heeling  boards  (1).  Heat  insulating  materials  (1).  Hammocks  (1). 
Hospital  furniture  (1).  Hospital  supplies  (1).  Hydraulic  turbines 
(2).  High  pressure  hydraulic  machinery  (1).  Hardware,  including 
builders',  carriage,  upholstery,  saddlery,  marine  and  automobile  (23). 

Ice  and  refrigerating  machinery  (4).  Ice  cream  freezers  (2).  Ice 
and  roller  skates  (1).  Industrial  railroad  tracks  (1).  Irrigation  equip- 
ment (1).  Insulating  tape  (1).  Insulating  materials  (1).  Incandes- 
cent mantles  (1).  Insulated  wire  (1).  Injectors  (1).  Iron  fencing 
(1).  Ivory  goods  (1). 

Jewelry  (5).  Jewellers'  tools  and  machinery  (2).  Jewellers'  sup- 
plies (1). 

Knit  goods  (2).  Knitting  machine  needles  (1).  Knitting  machinery 
(1).  Kitchen  cabinets  (2). 

Lumber,  building  and  cabinet  (19).  Leather,  including  upholstering, 
sole,  patent,  glazed  kid,  etc.  (14).  Leather  goods  (1).  Leather  ma- 
chinery (2).  Leather  substitutes  (1).  Lubricating  oils  and  greases  (9). 
Lubricators  and  lubricating  devices  (4).  Lifting  jacks  (2).  Laundry 
machinery  (3).  Lawn  mowers,  hand,  horse  and  power  (2).  Lead 
pencils  and  erasers  (1).  Lightning  arrestors  (1).  Lithography  (1). 
Lithographers'  machinery  (1).  Locks  (2).  Logging  machinery  (1). 
Linoleum  (1).  Library  and  parlor  tables  (1).  Lithopone  (1).  Licorice 
products  (1).  Locomotives  (1).  Lace  curtains  (1).  Lead  (1).  Lead 
goods  (1).  Loose  leaf  books  (2).  Lockers,  cabinets  and  shelving  (1). 

Machine  tools  (60).  Machinists'  chucks  (4).  Machinery,  type  not 
specified  (18).  Musical  instruments  (4).  Marine  engines  and  motors 
(4).  Mining  machinery  (10).  Metal  packing  (1).  Mine  shoveling 
machines  (1).  MaUeable  iron  castings  (1).  Metal  wheels  (1).  Mixers 
(1).  Metal  mouldings  (1).  Metal  stampings  (1).  Metal  cutting 
saws  (1).  Motor  boats  (1).  Machine  screws  (1).  Marine  paints  (1). 
Macaroni  (1).  Meters  (1),  Metal  casement  windows  (1).  Metals 
and  by-products  (2).  Motorcycles  (1).  Malt  (1).  Magnetos  (1). 


46  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Manganese  steel  castings  (1).  Mower  knives  and  sections  (1).  Medici- 
nal preparations  (1).  Mercerizing  machines  (1).  Medicine  cabinets 
(1).  Metallurgical  machinery  (1).  Mosquito  netting  (2).  Motion 
picture  films  (1). 

Nails  (2).     Nickel  ware  (1). 

Office  filing  equipment  (2).  Oil  mill  machinery  (1).  Oil  well  ma- 
chinery (1).  Oil  well  supplies  (2).  Oil  cake  (1).  Oil  burning  utensils 
(1).  Oil  cloth  (1).  Oxy-acetylene  apparatus  (1).  Optical  goods  (5). 
Optical  machinery  (1).  Oil  measuring  pumps  and  tanks  (1).  Oiled 
clothing  (1). 

Pumps,  including  hand,  power,  centrifugal,  steam  and  pumping 
engines  (19).  Paper  of  all  kinds  (13).  Petroleum  products  (7).  Power 
transmission  machinery  (8).  Paints,  oils,  varnishes  and  enamels  (13). 
Pianos  and  player-pianos  (4).  Pipe,  including  drawn  and  cast  iron  (8). 
Pipe  fittings  (including  the  Crane  Company.  Why  do  they  not  take 
their  own  medicine  instead  of  urging  it  upon  others  ?)  (4) .  Pipe  machinery 
(4).  Pipe  wrenches  (1).  Pig  iron  (3).  Presses,  mechanical  (2). 
Printing  presses  and  other  printing  machinery  (6).  Printing  furniture 
(1).  Picture  frames  and  mouldings  (2).  Pulleys,  cast  iron  and  steel 
(3).  Punching  and  shearing  machines  (2).  Phonographs  and  grapha- 
phones  (2).  Pneumatic  tools  (2).  Paste  and  polish  (2) .  Plumbing  brass 
goods  (1).  Pulverizing  machinery  (1).  Plumbing  fixtures  (1).  Pro- 
pellers and  marine  specialties  (1).  Pads  for  horses  (1).  Power  hammers 
(2).  Plaster  of  Paris  (1).  Precious  metals  (1).  Plantation  machinery 
(1).  Pottery  (1).  Plumbers'  earthenware  (1).  Paper  boxes  (2). 
Paper  mill  machinery  (5).  Paper  hangers'  tools  (1).  Paper  merchan- 
dise (1).  Painters'  tools  and  supplies  (1).  Pharmaceutical  and  pro- 
prietary medicines  (3).  Pharmaceutical  machinery  (1).  Padlocks  (1) 
Pulp  mill  machinery  (1).  Pile  drivers  (1).  Positive  pressure  blowers  (1). 

Quarry  and  gravel  pit  machinery  (2). 

Rubber  goods,  including  automobile  tires,  belting,  heels,  footwear, 
etc.  (11).  Rolling  mill  machinery  (4).  Rock  crushing  machinery  (3). 
Rock  drills  (2).  Railway  track  material  (2).  Refrigerator  doors  (2). 
Rubber  mill  machinery  (1).  Railway  signaling  apparatus  (1).  Railway 
and  contractors'  tools  (1).  Railway  passenger  coach  fixtures  (1). 
Railway  accessories  (1).  Razors  (1).  Rawhide  gears  (1).  Refrig- 
erators (1).  Radium,  vanadium  and  uranium  (1).  Rice  milling 
(1).  Radiators  for  automobiles  (1).  Rotary  surface  grinders  (1). 
Roofing  paints  (1).  Roofing  tiles  (1).  Recording  instruments  (1). 
Rug  extractors  (1).  Razor  strops  (1).  Railway  supplies  (2).  Road 
scrapers  (1).  Railway  motor  cars  (1).  Rolling  store  ladders  (1).  Road 
machinery  (2).  Roofing  materials  (1).  Rare  metals  (1).  Ratchet 
drills  (1). 

Steel  and  iron  products,  including  billets,  sheets,  plates,  structural 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  47 

steel,  castings,  blooms,  bars,  etc,  (31).  Steam  engine  governors  (2). 
Steam  specialties  (4).  Shoe  machinery  (3).  Shoe  material  (1).  Saws 
(1)  Stoves  and  ranges  (3).  Starch  (3).  Shovels,  spades  and  scoops 
(2).  Suspenders  (2).  School,  theatre  and  church  furniture  (2).  Spiritu- 
ous liquors  (2).  Steam  boilers  (11).  Sugar  machinery  (8).  Steam 
shovels  (4).  Soap  (6).  Steam  turbines  (2).  Steam  engines  (14).  Steel 
plate  work,  other  than  steam  boilers  (9).  Steam  mains  (1).  Sugar 
cane  machinery  (1).  Soda  fountains  (1).  Spark  plugs  (1).  Scott 
tissue  towels  (1).  Sewing  thread  (1).  Stampings  (1).  Shoe  lasts  (1). 
Shirt  and  collars  (2).  Steel  blocks  (1).  Shoe  pegs  (1).  Scales  (1). 
Steel  rolling  doors  (1).  Steel  lockers,  racks  and  tables  (1).  Slate 
(1).  Snap  fasteners  (1).  Sanitary  enameled  ware  (1).  Sewing  ma- 
chines (3).  Spring  hinges  (1).  Sample  cases  (1).  Screw  machine  prod- 
ucts (1).  Steel  clothes  lockers  (1);  Sprayers  (1).  Steel  sash  (1). 
Silver  plated  ware  (1).  Stationery  specialties  (1).  Soldering  fluxes 
(1).  Steel  transmission  structures  (1).  Safety  water  columns  (1). 
Store  fixtures  (1).  Seamless  tube  mill  machinery  (1).  Speedometers 
(1).  Saddlery  goods  (1).  Safes,  vaults,  etc.  (1).  Statibnery  (1). 
Structural  and  ornamental  iron  (1).  Street  lighting  fixtures  (1).  Shoe 
manufacturers'  supplies  (1).  Shoe  dressings  and  polishes  (3).  Storage 
batteries  (2).  Sadirons  (2).  Scientific  instruments  (2).  Steam  radia- 
tors (2).  Sawmill  machinery  (5).  Steel  ships  (1).  Sugar  (2).^  Shoe 
laces  (1).  Spelter  (1).  Spring  mattresses  (1).  Spark  coils  (1).  Steel 
works  equipment  (1).  Sandpaper  (1).  Silos  (1).  Steel  furniture  (3). 
Steel  tubing  (1).  Storage  battery  cutters  (1).  Steam  dredges  (1). 

Textiles,  including  cotton,  woolen  and  silk  (13).  Textile  machinery 
(9).  Tobacco  in  various  forms  (7).  Tobacco  machinery  (3).  Type- 
writers (5).  Toy  guns  (1).  Tire  filler  (1).  Type  casting  machines  (2). 
Tannery  machinery  (2).  Tannery  extracts  (2).  Toilet  articles  (3). 
Tin  and  tern  plate  (4).  Tin  ointment  boxes  (1).  Trunks  (1).  Table 
and  shelf  oilcloth  (1).  Tire  fabrics  (2).  Time  recording  devices  (1). 
Telephone  equipment  (2).  Tacks,  nails  and  rivets  (1).  Thermos 
bottles  (1).  Trench  excavating  equipment  (1).  Tank  cars  (1).  Trac- 
tors (4).  Typewriter  ribbons  (4).  Telephone  ringing  machines  (1). 
Timber  preserving  machinery  (1).  Toothpicks  (1).  Tungsten  contact 
points  (1). 

Underwear  (4).     Upholstered  furniture  (1).     Undertakers'  supplies 

(1). 

Valves  (5).  Vacuum  machinery  (2).  Vacuum  cleaners  (2).  Ve- 
neers (3).  Vises  (1).  Vegetable  paring  machines  (1).  Vehicle  springs 
(1).  Vehicles  for  children  (1).  Ventilating  apparatus  (1). 

Woodworking  machinery  (8).  Windmills  (3).  Wire  (5).  Wagons 
(6).  Wagon  and  carriage  wheels  (1).  Wire  rope  (2).  Wire  fabrics 
(3).  Wire  products  (2).  Wire  glass  (1).  Wrenches  (2).  Wooden 


48  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

mallets  (1).  Well  supplies  (1).  Writing  inks  (1).  Well  drilling  ma- 
chinery (2).  Window  fixtures  (1).  Wall  paper  (1).  Water  heaters  (1). 
Wood  screws  (1).  Wood  finishes  (1).  Wheelbarrows  (1).  Water- 
works material  (1).  Wooden  boxes  (1).  Washing  machines  (1). 
Watchman's  signals  (1).  Wooden  ships  (1).  Wall  board  (1).  Watches 
(4).  Watchcases  (1)  Wood  heels  (3). 

Zinc  products  (1). 

Products  not  named  (88). 

PARTIAL   USE    OF  THE   METRIC   SYSTEM   IN  PRODUCTION 

The  reports  of  partial  use  are,  in  some  respects,  the  most  instructive 
of  all.  From  them,  we  learn  that  it  is  only  in  rare  cases  that  the  units 
of  measure  used  in  the  production  of  a  commodity  have  anything  to  do 
with  its  salability  in  any  market,  the  calls  for  the  metric  system  being 
always  special  and  of  no  general  application  or  significance. 

For  example,  in  substantially  all  lines  of  machinery,  the  watch  and 
clock  illustrations)(page  34)  are  duplicated — foreign  purchasers  of  automo- 
biles, electrical,  mining,  ice  making,  agricultural  machinery,  etc.,  caring 
no  more  about  the  units  to  which  the  parts  of  these  machines  are  made 
than  the  reader  cares  about  the  English  or  metric  units  used  in  the  con- 
struction of-  his  own  watch.  The  only  exception  to  this  law  is  found  in 
about  one-third  of  the  reports  for  machine  tools.  Here,  the  metric 
features  called  for  are  those  few  immediately  concerned  in  measuring  the 
products  made  on  the  machine,  and  no  others. 

Again,  in  the  case  of  chemicals,  it  must  be  clear  to  the  dullest  mind 
that  the  units  used  in  the  production  of  the  goods  have  nothing  to  do 
with  the  salability  of  the  products.  In  steel  and  iron  products — struc- 
tural material,  pipe,  etc.— the  overwhelming  preponderance  of  English- 
speaking  countries  in  the  production  of  these  goods  has  made  their  prod- 
ucts the  standard  of  the  world  as  is  true,  also,  of  automobile  tires,  while 
in  textiles,  the  letter  of  the  American  Printing  Company  (page  38)  saying 
that  "practically  all  of  our  goods  for  export  trade  are  measured  in  yards" 
contains  a  volume  of  information  regarding  the  use  of  the  yard  as  a  price 
unit  in  the  metric  countries. 

The  most  striking  illustration  of  all  is  found  in  weighing  and  measuring 
instruments  which  are  crucial  if  anything  can  be.  With  them,  the  con- 
struction emains  strictly  English,  the  only  metric  feature  being  the 
graduated  dial  or  scale  by  which  the  indications  are  read,  and  more 
striking  still,  in  the  case  of  recording  instruments,  these  graduations  are 
placed  on  ruled  sheets  of  paper  which  are  not  even  parts  of  the  instruments. 

Representatives  of  the  following  industries  reply  to  the  first  question 
by  placing  their  crosses  in  the  Slightly,  Considerably  or  Exclusively  lines 
as  indicated  by  the  figures  in  parentheses. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  49 

Automobiles  and  automobile  trucks:  Not  at  all  (22),  Slightly  (20), 
Considerably  (2). 

The  use  of  the  metric  system  in  the  automobile  and  automobile 
trrrck  industry  to  meet  the  needs  of  export  trade  is  limited  to  speedometers, 
spark  plugs,  tires  and  wheel  rims  to  suit  the  tires.  Speedometers  are 
graduated  to  read  in  kilometers  just  as,  for  Russia,  they  are  graduated 
to  read  in  versts.  In  both  cases,  we  give  the  customer  what  he  wants 
and  one  practice  has  as  much  and  as  little  significance  as  the  other. 

It  will  be  observed  that  most  of  the  automobile  companies  who  use 
the  metric  system  at  all  place  their  crosses  against  " Slightly"  for  the  use 
cf  the  metric  system  for  these  items.  How  little  this  means  is  shown  by 
the  following  extracts  from  letters. 

The  Cadillac  Motor  Car  Company  say: 

"Until  a  year  ago  millimeter  sized  wheels  and  tires  were  shipped  with  cars  to 
Australia,  but  our  distributor  there  changed  to  inch  sizes.  Most  South  American 
countries  take  inch  sizes,  with  the  exception  of  Chile  which  takes  millimeter." 

The  Dart  Motor  Truck  Company  say: 

"All  the  tires  we  have  shipped  on  foreign  shipments  have  been  of  American  make 
and  American  sizes." 

Dodge  Brothers  say: 

"We  furnish  the  standard  American  tires  on  all  our  cars." 

The  Elwell-Parker  Electric  Co.  say: 

"We  have  shipped  trucks  to  Australia,  New  Zealand,  France,  Italy,  England, 
Cuba,  Ecuador  and  Canada  with  standard  English  sized  tires." 

The  Ford  Motor  Company  say: 

"Our  cars  for  export  trade  are  always  equipped  with  American  size  tires — not 
metric  size." 

The  International  Motor  Company  say: 

"In  all  cases  we  have  supplied  tires  in  American  dimensions  such  as  are  standard 
and  in  stock  in  this  country." 

The  Lexington  Motor  Company  say : 

"We  use  a  few  metric  sized  rims  and  tires,  but  in  our  business,  it  only  serves  to 
cause  confusion." 

The  Maxwell  Motor  Sales  Corporation  say: 

"All  of  our  cars  which  are  exported  are  equipped  with  American  sized  tires.'* 
The  Paige-Detroit  Motor  Car  Company  say: 

"At  the  present  time,  the  demand  for  metric  wheels,  rims  and  tires  is  extremely 
limited.  Since  the  first  of  the  year,  we  have  only  shipped  6  cars  so  equipped." 

Plainly,  the  word  " Slightly"  for  the  use  of  the  metric  system  in 
export  trade  in  automobiles  is  well  chosen. 

Metric  spark  plugs  are  so  called  by  courtesy  only,  their  only  metric 
feature  being  the  screw  thread  by  which  they  are  secured  in  place,  all 
their  other  dimensions  being  English.  This  is  an  example  of  the  practice 


50  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

of  the  metricites  who  universally  call  anything  metric  if  it  has  a  single 
metric  feature  or  dimension.  Nor  are  such  plugs  universal  in  metric 
countries.  The  Cole  Motor  Car  Company  say  in  reference  to  export 
trade : 

"We  use  the  %-18  S.A.E.  standard  spark  plug." 

The  J.  B.  Crockett  Company  say: 

"The  percentage  of  metric  spark  plugs  against  those  of  standard  thread  as  used 
by  ourselves  which  are  exported  is  about  two-thirds  metric — the  balance,  one-third, 
%"  and  %",  that  is,  omitting  the  regular  Champion  X  Ford  plugs.  The  greater 
portion  of  Ford  spark  plugs  shipped  into  foreign  countries  are  the  same  as  the  regular 
standard  American  used  here." 

The  Paige-Detroit  Motor  Car  Company  say: 

"Occasionally,  we  get  a  request  that  the  spark  plug  be  metric  with  which  request 
we  comply.  This  is  practically  obsolete  at  the  present  time,  owing  to  the  predomi- 
nance of  American  spark  plugs,  and  we  have  not  made  shipment  of  a  single  car  so 
equipped  for  over  18  months." 

Dodge  Brothers  say: 

"We  are  shipping  about  $1,000,000.00  annually  to  countries  which  use  the  metric 
system.  All  of  these  cars  go  with  our  standard  English  thread  spark  plugs. 

Addressographs :  Slightly  (1).  The  Addressograph  Company  (ad- 
dressing machines,  in  export  trade  12  years)  write: 

"Only  one  request  for  goods  to  be  marked  in  the  metric  system  in  the  past  12 
years." 

Automobile  crank  shafts:  Slightly  (1).  The  Automobile  Crank 
Shaft  Corporation  (in  export  trade  three  years)  who  make  this  report, 
say: 

"  About  60  per  cent,  of  crank  shafts  we  are  making  for  export  are  in  English 
measurements,  20  per  cent,  in  English  and  metric  [that  is  some  dimensions  English 
and  some  metric]  and  20  per  cent,  in  metric  only." 

Athletic  goods:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (1).  A,  G.  Spalding  and 
Brothers  (in  export  trade  20  years)  who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

'  We  have  one  or  two  pieces  of  apparatus  used  in  physical  measurement  which 
we  are  requested,  although  very  seldom,  to  make  specially  to  the  metric  system." 

Agricultural  machinery:  Not  at  all  (9),  Considerably  (l),  Slightly 
(1).  The  Avery  Company  (in  export  trade  20  years)  who  make  this 
last  report,  say  that  the  use  of  the  metric  system  relates  to  "  Spark 
plugs  and  small  equipment." 

Abrasives  and  sharpening  stones:  Not  at  all  (3),  Slightly  (1).  The 
Pike  Manufacturing  Company  (in  export  trade  nearly  50  years)  who 
make  this  last  report,  add  the  word  "very  "  after  slightly,  and  say: 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  51 

"  It  would  be  rather  hard  for  us  to  estimate  the  percentage  of  orders  rendered  to 
us  in  the  metric  system,  but  are  safe  in  saying  it  would  be  a  fraction  of  1  per  cent." 

Ammunition:  Not  at  all  (1),  Extensively  (2). 

Belting:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (4),  Considerably  (1),  Extensively 

(1).     The  Detroit  Oak  Belting  Company  (in  export  trade  three  years) 

who  report  " Considerably,"  say: 

"Some  customers  specify  lengths  in  meters  and  widths  in  inches." 
The  Missouri  Belting  Company  (in  export  trade  22  years)  say: 
"We  make  leather  belting  in  metric  dimensions  on  special  orders  only." 

The  Rossendale-Reddaway  Belting  and  Hose  Company  who  report 

" Extensively,"  say: 

"  We  do  not  use  it  at  all  as  far  as  the  actual  manufacturing  is  concerned.  We  do, 
however,  receive  many  inquiries  and  orders  from  other  countries  in  which  they  re- 
quest length,  breadth  and  thickness  of  belting  according  to  the  metric  system,  and 
in  filling  the  orders,  we  supply  them  with  the  nearest  measurements  we  have  in  feet 
and  inches." 

Brass  and  copper  goods:  Not  at  all  (6),  Slightly  (2),  Extensively 
(1).  The  Bridgeport  Brass  Company  (in  export  trade  25  years),  who 
report  "Slightly,"  say: 

*  We  have  furnished  during  the  last  two  or  three  years  large  quantities  of  brass 
disks  for  the  manufacture  of  cartridge  cases,  the  dimensions  of  which  were  specified 
m  metric  units.  These  metric  units  we  simply  translated  into  the  corresponding 
English  equivalents  and  proceeded  with  the  order.  We  have  made  seamless  tubes 
in  a  similar  manner  and  several  million  copper  bands  for  shrapnel." 

C.  G.  Hussey  &  Co.  (in  export  trade  60  years)  who  also  report 
"Slightly",  say: 

" Goods  are  shipped  to  metric  countries  in  both  millimeter  and  English  sizes. 
We  should  say,  roughly,  that  the  English  sizes  amount  to  about  75  per  cent." 

Bolts,  nuts  and  rivets:  Not  at  all  (4),  Slightly  (3).  Boiler  tubes: 
Not  at  all  (1),  Considerably  (1).  Ball  bearings:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly 
(1).  Balls:  Not  at  all  (2),  Considerably  (1).  The  Hoover  Steel  Ball 
Company  (in  export  trade  3  years)  who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

"We  do  not  have  a  very  large  call  for  the  metric  sizes  and  presume  this  would 
not  amount  to  more  than  5  per  cent,  of  our  entire  export  orders." 

Brick:  Slightly  (1).  Boiler  tube  cleaners:  Considerably  (1).  The 
William  B.  Pierce  Company  (in  export  trade  19  years)  who  make  this 
last  report,  say: 

"in  countries  using  the  metric  system  we  merely  use  that  system  for  turning  and 
measuring  the  outside  diameter  of  the  machine." 

Boat  oars,  hardwood  dimension  stock,  etc. :  Slightly  (1).  The  Anchor 
Sawmills  Company  (in  export  trade  60  years)  who  make  this  report,  say: 

"It  is  very  rarely  that  boat  oars  are  ordered  by  the  metric  system  as  the  English 
foot  is  used  as  the  unit  of  length  all  over  the  world." 


52  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Cutting  tools:  Not  at  all  (14),  Slightly  (4),  Considerably  (5).  The 
Cleveland  Twist  Drill  Company  (in  export  trade  30  years)  who  report 
''Considerably,"  say  that  to  France,  Sweden,  Italy  and  Spain  their 
shipments  are  90  per  cent,  to  100  per  cent,  metric.  Shipments  to  Norway, 
Holland,  Denmark  and  Russia  are  about  50  per  cent.  English  and  50 
per  cent,  metric.  Shipments  to  Japan  are  about  90  per  cent.  English 
and  10  per  cent,  metric.  Shipments  to  Central  and  South  America  are 
95  per  cent,  to  100  per  cent.  English.  The  Detroit  Twist  Drill  Company 
(in  export  trade  eight  years)  say: 

"All  of  our  South  American  customers  use  more  English  sizes  than  metric.  Some 
of  the  French,  Italian,  Swedish,  Norwegian,  Russian,  in  fact,  most  all  of  our  cus- 
tomers of  Continental  Europe  use  some  proportion  of  English  sizes." 

The  National  Tool  Co.  (in  export  trade  3  years)  who  report  "C Con- 
siderably", say: 

"In  most  every  case  we  have  used  both  the  millimeter  and  English  sizes  and 
approximately  the  percentage  would  be  50." 

The  Modern  Tool  Company  (in  export  trade  14  years)  who  report 
"Slightly",  say: 

"According  to  our  records  about  10  per  cent,  of  the  tools  supplied  to  metric 
countries  are  required  in  millimeter  dimensions." 

The  Murchey  Machine  and  Tool  Company  (in  export  trade  3  years) 
who  report  " Slightly",  say: 

"About  one-tenth  of  our  export  business  is  in  millimeter  sizes." 

There  are  two  types  of  cutting  tools — those  which  by  their  own  size 
determine  the  size  of  the  work  done  by  them  (twist  drills,  reamers, 
taps,  dies,  milling  cutters  for  gear  teeth,  etc.)  and  those  which  do  not 
(most  mechanics'  hand  tools).  The  replies  showing  the  use  of  the  metric 
system  relate  to  the  former  type  in  all  cases. 

The  remarks  under  weighing  and  measuring  instruments  below  apply 
here  almost  without  change.  Sizing  tools  of  millimeter  dimensions  are 
not  made  for  use  at  home,  but  to  sell  for  use  abroad. 

In  1916  a  report  on  The  Metric  System  in  Export  Trade  was  issued 
from  the  Bureau  of  Standards  in  order  to  impress  the  people  of  South 
America  with  the  progress  of  the  metric  system  in  this  country. 

Of  thirty-three  pages  of  illustrations  of  American  metric  products, 
twenty-seven  show  weighing  and  measuring  instruments  and  sizing 
cutting  tools  made  for  sale  and  use  abroad,  while  three  of  the  remaining- 
six  illustrations  show  lathes  so  arranged  that  others  may  cut  metric 
screws  when  necessary,  but  every  one  of  them  fitted  for  cutting  English 
screws  as  a  primary  function  with  make-shift  translating  gears  to  make 
possible  the  cutting  of  metric  screws  should  the  purchaser  by  some 
Chance  have  occasion  to  cut  them. 

To  those  who  do  not  understand,  the  illustrations  make  an  impressive 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  53 

showing  of  the  " progress  of  the  metric  system;"  to  those  who  do  under- 
stand, they  make  an  equally  impressive  showing  of  the  lack  of  sense  in 
these  matters  at  our  metric  hothouse,  the  Bureau  of  Standards. 

Many  of  these  tools  and  instruments  are  of  American  invention. 
Metric  countries  learn  of  their  merit  and  call  for  them.  We  adapt 
them  to  the  needs  of  such  customers  by  suitably  spacing  and  numbering 
the  divisions  by  which  their  indications  are  read,  and  the  Bureau  of 
Standards  publishes  the  fact  to  the  world  as  an  evidence  that  we  are 
11  adopting"  the  metric  system.  Among  the  exhibits  of  the  Bureau  of 
Standards  are  metrically  divided  tape  measures  which  we  make  for  sale 
to  metric  countries  and  these  are  paraded  as  evidence  that  we  are  adopting 
the  metric  system! 

Chemicals:  Not  at  all  (19),  Slightly  (1),  Extensively  (1).  Chemical 
machinery:  Extensively  (1).  The  Werner  and  Pfleiderer  Company, 
who  report  extensively  say: 

"When  originally  starting  here  in  this  country,  we  took  over  a  number  of  patterns 
and  drawings  in  metric  which  we  have  used  ever  since." 

Corsets:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (2),  Considerably- (1).  Car  wheels, 
chilled  rolls,  and  rolled  grinding  machines:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1). 
The  Lobdell  Car  Wheel  Company  (in  export  trade  nearly  50  years) 
who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

"We  occasionally  get  orders  for  chilled  rolls  for  calendering  paper  to  go  abroad 
and  the  dimensions  of  the  journals  and  necks  are  sometimes  specified  in  millimeters. 
We  have  also  had  orders  for  a  few  wheels  and  axles  with  the  metric  sizes  specified 
for  the  axle  and  hub  dimensions." 

Cotton  duck:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1).  The  Elm  City  Cotton 
Mills  (in  export  trade  10  years)  who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

"We  have  shipped  quite  a  bit  of  cotton  duck  to  Cuba  and  there  have  been  a  few 
instances  where  they  have  asked  for  metric  measurements.  For  the  last  few  years 
probably  95  per  cent,  of  the  shipments  we  have  made  have  been  billed  and  branded 
with  the  usual  English  measurements." 

Clay  working  machinery:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (1).  The  American 
Clay  Machinery  Company  (in  export  trade  37  years),  who  make  this 
last  report,  say  that  this  use  of  the  system  refers  only  to  dies  and  moulds 
used  in  presses  and  other  machines  for  making  clay  goods.  Candles, 
stearine,  glycerine,  etc.:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (1). 

Drop  forgings:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (2).  The  Armstrong  Brothers 
Tool  Company  (in  export  trade  25  years)  who  report  " Slightly,"  say: 

"Slightly  here  means  only  on  size  of  wrench  openings  for  some  wrenches  going  to 
the  Continent  of  Europe." 

The  Billings  and  Spencer  Company  (in  export  trade  55  years)  who 
also  report  "Slightly,"  say  also  that  this  use  of  the  system  refers  only 
to  "openings  in  machine  wrenches." 

Electrical  machinery:  Not  at  all  (14),  Slightly  (1).     The  Westing- 


54  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

house  Electric  and  Manufacturing  Company  (in  export  trade  20  years) 
who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

"Only  on  orders  from  foreign  countries  when  they  require  us  to  follow  their  exact 
dimensions.  This  is  required  in  only  a  very  small  fraction  of  the  business  taken—- 
too small,  in  fact,  to  state  in  figures." 

Elevators,  escalators,  conveying  and  hoisting  machinery:  Not  at 
all  (3),  Slightly  (1).  Explosives:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (1).  Electrical 
wires,  cables  and  accessories:  Extensively  (1). 

Firearms,  sporting:  Not  at  all  (4),  Considerably  (1).  The  A.  H.  Fox 
Gun  Company  (in  export  trade  five  years)  who  make  this  last  report,  say : 

"About  half  of  our  foreign  orders  are  received  with  the  dimensions  of  the  guns  in 
the  metric  system." 

Firearms,  military:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1).  Fire-clay  products: 
Slightly  (1).  The  Laclede-Christy  Clay  Products  Company  (in  export 
trade  " several"  years),  say: 

"On  one  of  the  inquiries  we  received,  the  size  of  the  material  required  was  shown 
in  kilos  and  our  quotation  was  made  on  the  same  basis.  The  order,  however,  has 
not  been  received  " 

Filters:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1). 

Glass,  including  plate,  window,  jars  and  bottles:  Not  at  all  (8), 
Slightly  (2).  The  Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Company  (in  export  trade 
three  years)  who  make  one  of  these  reports,  say: 

"We  have  only  one  customer  (located  in  Mexico)  who  insists  upon  the  metric 
system." 

Ground  steel  shafting:  Slightly  (1).  The  Cumberland  Steel  Company 
(in  export  trade  20  years)  who  make  this  report,  say : 

"We  do  not  think  we  have  finished  any  metric  sizes  for  two  or  three  years,  and  the 
quantity  we  made  at  any  time  is  very  small — hardly  worth  considering." 

Grinding  wheels:  Not  at  all  (4),  Slightly  (1),  Extensively  (1). 
The  Abrasive  Company  (in  export  trade  17  years)  who  report  " Slightly, " 
say: 

"The  grinding  wheels  that  we  supply  to  countries  using  metric  measure  are  accord- 
ing to  English  and  metric  measures.  It  would  be  difficult  to  give  an  approximate 
idea  of  the  percentage  of  the  two  kinds  of  measurements  used,  but  perhaps  we  would 
not  be  far  wrong  in  specifying  3  per  cent,  metric  and  97  per  cent.  English." 

The  Hampden  Corundum  Wheel  Company  (in  export  trade  32  years) 
say: 

"Customers  frequently  order  in  metric  specifications,  but  we  supply  the  nearest 
English  equivalents  to  their  entire  satisfaction." 

Gas,  gasoline,  and  oil  engines:  Not  at  all  (12),  Slightly  (1).  Gas 
engine  specialties:  Slightly  (1).  The  Kokomo  Electric  Company 
(in  export  trade  seven  years)  who  make  this  last  report,  say : 

"Only  in  one  article — a  metric  thread  spark  plug." 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  55 

Hoisting  machinery:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1).  The  Lidgerwood 
Manufacturing  Company  (in  export  trade  30  years)  who  make  this  last 
report,  add  "One  instance  only."  Hammers:  Slightly  (1).  Fayette  R. 
Plumb,  Inc.  (in  export  trade  30  years),  says: 

"The  only  cases  a/e  a  certain  pattern  of  carpenters'  hammer  and  a  certain  pattern 
of  sledge  hammer  used  in  South  America." 

Handles  for  hand  tools:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1). 
The  Turner,  Day  &  Wool  worth  Handle  Co.  (in  export  trade  30  years), 
who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

"Under  normal  conditions,  shipments  to  those  countries  in  which  millimeter 
measurements  are  used  will  run  about  25  per  cent,  against  75  per  cent,  on  which 
inches  are  used." 

Ice  machinery:  Not  at  all  (4),  Slightly  (1).  The  Vilter  Manufactur- 
ing Company  (in  export  trade  30  years),  who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

"  We  do  not  think  we  ever  made  any  of  our  compressors  to  millimeter  sizes,  but 
have  made  pipes,  fittings,  etc.,  at  times.  [The  ice  machine  is,  essentially,  a  gas 
compressor.]" 

Insulated  electric  wire  and  cables:    Slightly  (1). 
Ingot  metals:  Slightly  (1). 

Knit  goods:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1).  The  Avalon  Knitwear 
Company,  who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

"We  only  use  the  metric  system  in  our  dye  house,  and  only  to  a  very  limited  extent." 

Locomotives:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (2),  Considerably  (1).  The 
Davenport  Locomotive  Works  (in  export  trade  10  years)  who  report 
"Slightly,"  say: 

"Only  for  track  gauge  of  locomotives." 

Leather  goods:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (1).  Lubricators:  Not  at  all 
(4),  Slightly  (1).  The  Richards  and  Phoenix  Company  (in  export  trade 
six  years),  who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

"Whitworth  pipe  threads  are  usually  called  for." 

Machine  tools:  Not  at  all  (60),  Slightly  (32),  Considerably  (3). 

Machine  tools  are  the  machines  with  which  machine  shops  are 
equipped.  On  them  all  other  machines  of  whatever  kind  and  for  what- 
ever purpose  are  made  and  the  dimensions  of  their  parts  determined. 
Here,  if  anywhere,  the  need  of  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  export 
trade  would  be  imperative  and  the  returns  from  this  industry  are  hence 
the  most  instructive  of  all. 

The  returns  show,  as  might  have  been  expected,  the  greatest  use  of 
the  system  to  be  in  this  industry  and  it  is  precisely  in  this  industry  that 
this  Institute  had  its  origin  and  has  today  among  its  members  the  greatest 
number  of  representatives,  which  is  to  say  that  those  who  have  had  the 
most  experience  with  the  system  are  also  those  who  have  organized 
to  resist  its  further  extension. 


56  THE  METRIC  FALLACY     . 

Some  types  of  machine  tool  are  fitted  with  attachments  for  indicating 
sizes  and  adjustments,  and  some  are  not.  Such  attachments,  like 
weighing  and  measuring  instruments  for  metric  countries,  are  naturally 
made  to  read  in  millimeters  and  frequently  the'  graduations  of  these 
attachments  are  the  only  metric  features  of  the  machines.  Thus  we 
have  drilling  machines  with  indicators  for  the  depth  of  the  hole  drilled 
reading  in  millimeters,  but  with  no  change  in  the  machines.  Since  the 
circumferential  speed  of  the  cutting  tools  is  an  important  thing  to  know, 
we  also  have  cases  in  which  tables  are  attached  to  the  machines  showing 
the  speeds  of  different  sized  drills  at  different  rates  of  revolutions  per 
minute  in  meters  per  second  instead  of  feet  per  minute.  We  also  have 
milling  machines  in  which  adjustments  are  made  through  the  use  of 
screws  and  graduated  dials.  In  order  that  the  indications  may  be  made 
in  millimeters,  the  screws  (three  in  number)  are  cut  to  metric  pitches 
and  the  dials  graduated  to  read  in  millimeters  with  no  other  change 
in  the  machine. 

Of  a  special  class  are  lathes  because  of  their  important  function  in 
cutting  screws  and  this  function  has  been  a  storm  center  of  this  con- 
troversy from  the  beginning.  For  this  purpose  lathes  are  fitted  with 
lead,  guide  or  master  screws  from  which  screws  of  other  pitches  are  cut 
by  the  aid  of  combination  or  change  gears. 

How  little  the  notation  Slightly  means  in  the  machine  tool  industry 
and  how  few  metric  countries  call  for  any  metric  features  of  machine 
tools  are  shown  by  the  following  remarks  by  machine  tool  builders.  The 
non-technical  reader  may  need  to  be  reminded  that  the  construction  of 
a  machine  tool  involves  hundred  of  measurements — many  of  them  of  the 
highest  degree  of  precision  known  to  manufacturing  industry,  and  that  of 
these  the  few  specified  below  represent  all  the  "adoption"  of  the  metric 
system  asked  for  by  buyers  in  metric  countries.  Except  for  lead  and 
adjusting  screws  which  a  few  metric  countries  call  for  on  some  machines, 
the  requirements  are  too  insignificant  to  be  worth  counting.  Note  that 
about  two-thirds  of  the  replies  show  no  metric  features  whatever  to  be  asked  for. 

The  Automatic  Machine  Company  (automatic  threading  lathes;  in 
export  trade  12  years)  say: 

"We  furnish  the  various  countries  of  Europe  with  our  standard  lead  screw  with 
the  exception  of  France,  Spain  and  Italy  to  which  three  countries  we  furnish  the  lathes 
with  metric  lead  screws." 

Baker  Brothers  (key way  cutting  machines;  in  export  trade  20  years) 
say: 

"We  furnish  some  cutting  tools  in  metric  widths  for  keyseats,  but  the  majority  are 
furnished  in  English  measurements  even  for  metric  countries." 

The  E.  W.  Bliss  Company  (metal  working  machinery;  in  export  trade 
40  years)  say: 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEMjlN  EXPORT  TRADE  5? 

"We  do  not  often  find  it  necessary  to  make  any  part  of  our  machines  to  metric 
measurements.  Occasionally,  some  part,  where  tools  already  existing  must  fit,  is 
required  to  be  made  to  dimensions  in  millimeters." 

The  Cincinnati-Bickford  Tool  Company  (drilling  machines;  in  export 
trade  "many"  years)  say: 

"We  use  metric  speed  and  feed  plates  and  give  metric  graduations  on  spindle 
sleeves  or  dial  depth  gages." 

The  Cincinnati  Gear  Cutting  Machinery  Co.  (gear  cutting  machines ; 
in  export  trade  9  years)  say: 

"For  European  countries  we  furnish  a  metric  elevating  screw  for  the  work  arbor 
and  cutter  arbor  of  metric  diameter.  All  other  dimensions  are  English." 

The  Cincinnati  Milling  Machine  Company  (milling  machines;  in 
export  trade  20  years)  say: 

"This  applies  to  the  feed  screws  which,  for  metric  countries,  are  made  so  that  the 
dial  reads  in  millimetres  instead  of  thousandths  of  an  inch.  Some  metric  countries 
require  cutter  arbors  made  to  metric  diameters.  Other  countries,  notably  France, 
require  cutter  arbors  made  to  the  inch  standard." 

The  Cincinnati  Planer  Co.  (planers  and  boring  mills;  in  export 
trade  19  years)  say: 

"Never  called  on  for  any  changes  except  some  graduated  dials  and  screws  to  be 
made  metric." 

The  Detrick  and  Harvey  Machine  Company  (planers,  horizontal 
boring  machines,  gun  lathes,  etc.;  in  export  trade  25  years)  say: 

"Only  in  the  matter  of  furnishing  metric  reading  scales  on  certain  machines. 
We  have  sold  machinery  in  England,  France,  Germany,  Russia,  Italy,  Holland,  Nor- 
way, Japan,  South  Africa,  Chile,  and  other  foreign  countries." 

The  Gleason  Works  (gear  cutting  machinery)  say: 

"The  only  use  we  make  of  metric  dimensions  in  our  work  is  when  we  manufacture 
adjusting  screws  to  metric  standards  to  be  used  in  conjunction  with  metric  scales 
which  show  relative  movements  of  parts  of  the  machines." 

The  Kempsmith  Manufacturing  Company  (milling  machines;  in 
export  trade  20  years)  say: 

"All  machines  for  export  to  France  are  furnished  with  metric  screws  and  dials. 
Otherwise  our  machines  are  built  to  English  measurements." 

The  Landis  Tool  Company  (cylindrical  grinding  machines;  in  export 
trade  20  years)  say: 

"Not  over  5  per  cent,  of  our  foreign  customers  require  metric  measures." 

The  Lees  Bradner  Company  (in  export.trade  4  years)  say: 
"We  supply  metric  lead  screws  to  France  only. 

The  Lodge  &  Shipley  Machine  Tool  Company  (engine  lathes;  in  export 
trade  25  years)  say: 

"The  only  metric  dimensions  used  on  the  parts  of  any  of  our  products  are  the  lead 
screws  which  are  made  in  the  metric  system  on  lathes  shipped  into  France  only." 


58  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

The  Lucas  Machine  Tool  Company  (horizontal  boring  machines;  in 
export  trade  14  years)  say: 

"To  the  extent  of  furnishing,  in  those  cases  specified,  metric  traversing  screws 
and  dials  graduated  in  millimeters  and  speed  and  feed  plates  reading  in  millimeters 
instead  of  inches." 

The  Morris  Machine  Tool  Company  (lathes  and  radial  drills;  in 
export  trade  10  years)  say: 

"Occasionally,  we  furnish  lathes  to  cut  metric  pitch  threads." 

The  Norton  Grinding  Company  (cylindrical  grinding  machines;  in 
export  trade  16  years)  say: 

"There  are  four  small  parts  of  our  grinding  machines  that  we  make  to  metric 
measurements  for  a  few  customers  in  some  European  countries." 

The  Rockford  Drilling  Machine  Company  (drilling  machines;  in 
export  trade  17  years)  say: 

"  Metric  dimensions  are  stamped  on  drilling  machine  quill  on  machines  for  cer- 
tain foreign  countries." 

The  Springfield  Machine  Tool  Company  (lathes  and  shapers;  in  ex- 
port trade  25  years)  say: 

"  Metric  system  used  only  for  French  trade  in  which  only  the  lead  screw  and 
change  gears  are  metric." 

The  Warner  &  Swasey  Company  (turret  lathes)  say: 

"We  have  furnished  on  special  orders  screw-threading  dies  and  chuck  jaws  to 
metric  sizes." 

Shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the  great  war  the  American  Machinist 
sent  a  commissioner  (Mr.  0.  P.  Hood)  to  South  America.  Mr.  Hood, who 
speaks  both  Spanish  and  Portugese, made  the  circuit  of  the  continent 
spending  18  months  at  the  task  and  he  returned  with  substantially 
a  census  of  the  personnel  and  equipment  of  South  American  machine 
shops,  which  in  this  crucial  industry,  is  a  complete  refutation  of  metric 
claims  for  export  trade.  Mr.  Hood's  papers  show  that  in  the  machine 
shops  of  South  America — of  which  there  are  more  than  most  people 
realize — 39.3  per  cent,  of  the  machine  tools  are  American,  43.2  per  cent, 
are  British  and  the  remaining  17.5  per  cento  are  German,  Belgian  and 
French.  We  are  always  told  that  South  America  is  metric;  South 
American  shops  have  the  world  from  which  to  buy,  and  they  choose 
machine  tools  made  to  English  over  those  made  to  metric  measures 
in  the  ratio  of  nearly  5  to  1.  Moreover,  commerical  Germany  has  long 
been  splendidly  represented  in  South  America,  while  we  have  never  been 
and  Germany  has  had  ample  shipping  and  banking  facilities  which  we 
have  not. 

Mechanical  presses:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1).  The  Ferracute 
Machine  Company  (in  export  trade  35  years)  who  make  this  last  report, 
say: 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  59 

"There  are  a  few  cases  through  our  French  agents  where  it  is  necessary  that  holes 
be  tapped  and  bolts  be  threaded  by  the  metric  system,  but  in  each  case  they  allow 
us  to  furnish  the  bolt  in  blank  and  the  hole  drilled  so  that  it  can  be  properly  tapped 
by  the  metric  system  and  the  bolt  threaded  metric  system  after  it  arrives." 

Magnetos:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (1).  Machinery  and  equipment 
pertaining  to  the  meat  industry:  Slightly  (1). 

Optical  goods:  Not  at  all  (5),  Slightly  (2),  Considerably  (2),  Exten- 
sively (1). 

The  use  of  the  metric  system  in  optical  work  applies  only  to  the 
grinding  of  lenses,  the  mechanical  parts  of  cameras,  microscopes,  etc., 
being  made  to  the  English  system.  The  Eastman  Kodak  Company  say : 

"Used  only  in  connection  with  optical  work,  i.e.,  lens  manufacture." 

The  Spencer  Lens  Company  (in  export  trade  10  years)  say: 

"We  do  use  it  mostly  for  the  lens  work,  but  are  inconsistent  enough  to  use  the 
English  system  for  mechanical  work." 

The  system  was  not  adopted  for  the  benefit  of  export  trade  as  is 
shown  by  the  following  from  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company: 

"It  is  customary  in  this  work  to  use  the  metric  system  of  measurement,  probably 
because  the  practice  in  U.S.A.  followed  foreign  practice  where  lens  optics  were  first 
perfected." 

Lens  manufacture  is  one  of  many  examples  of  the  manner  in  which 
an  industry,  when  transferred  from  one  country  to  another,  carries  with 
it  the  units  of  measurement  on  which  it  was  developed. 

Another  illustration  is  found  in  shoe  machinery.  The  United  Shoe 
Machinery  Company  write: 

"Our  company  established  factories  in  England,  France,  Germany  and  Austria, 
and  have  exported  goods  and  maintained  subsidiary  companies  or  branch  offices  in 
practically  all  of  the  countries  of  South  America. 

"In  order  to  maintain  uniformity,  such  machines  as  we  manufacture  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  the  English  system  of  measurements  is  used  in  all  countries  so 
that  if  necessary  machines  and  parts  may  be  supplied  from  one  country  to  another." 

Another  illustration  is  found  in  machinery  and  appliances  for  the 
chemical  trade,  regarding  which  the  Warner  and  Pfleiberer  Company 
write : 

"When  originally  starting  here  in  this  country,  we  took  over  a  number  of  patterns 
and  drawings  in  metric  which  we  have  used  ever  since." 

Again,  the  Whithead  torpedo  carried  the  English  inch  from  England 
to  Austria;  as,  again,  steel  balls  carried  it  from  the  United  States  to 
Germany.  The  methods  of  wholesale  precision  manufacture  of  balls 
were  developed  in  this  country  and  taken  to  Germany  where  the  cus- 
tomary practice  today  is  to  make  steel  balls  to  inch  dimensions — German 
formulas  for  the  carrying  capacity  of  ball  bearings  containing  a  factor  for 
the  diameter  of  the  balls  in  English  inches. 

In  the  manufacture  of  silk  fabrics,  among  Western  nations,  France 


60  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

early  gained  the  leading  position  and,  as  a  result,  the  French  system  of 
numbering  silk  based  on  the  denier  (a  weight)  and  the  aune  (a  unit  of 
length)  became  not  only  the  silk  standard  of  France,  but  of  all  countries, 
and  is  today  the  world  standard  for  silk.  In  like  manner,  the  early 
dominance  of  England  in  the  cotton  trade  has  made  the  English  system 
of  numbering  cotton  yarn  based  on  the  yard  and  pound  the  standard 
of  the  world,  the  only  exception  being  France  where  it  was  found  impos- 
sible to  force  the  metric  system  based  on  the  kilometer  and  kilogram  on  the 
cotton  trade,  the  result  being  a  compromise  by  the  adoption  of  a  system 
based  on  the  kilometer  and  metric  pound,  the  numbers  of  which  were, 
approximately,  but  one-sixth  less  than  those  to  which  the  trade  had  been 
accustomed. 

Equally  striking,  is  the  establishment  as  world  standards  of  the 
English  standards  for  numbering  linen  and  jute  yarn. 

But  the  most  impressive  example  of  the  spread  of  standards  of 
measurement  as  a  result  of  industrial  development  is  presented  by 
Russia,  whose  system  of  linear  measurements  is  based  on  the  English 
inch  and  foot  as  a  result  of  the  visit  of  Peter  the  Great  to  England  about 
1701.  Working  in  the  English  shipyards,  the  Russian  Czar  was  impressed 
by  the  skill  of  English  mechanics  and  when  he  returned  home  took  with 
him  a  number  of  English  workmen  to  introduce  their  trades  in  Russia. 
In  doing  this,  they  also  introduced  the  English  inch  and  foot  which  are 
now  in  general  use  throughout  that  great  area  known  as  Russia.  The 
Russian  duim  is  the  English  inch;  the  Russian  foot  is  the  English  foot; 
the  arshine  is  28  inches;  the  sagene  is  7,  and  the  verst  is  3500  English 
feet.  All  these  are  standards  that  will  survive  revolutions  and  invasions 
and  are,  with  the  language,  the  most  stable  of  the  country's  institutions. 

Oil  mill  machinery:  Slightly  (1).  The  American  Machine  and  Manu- 
facturing Company  (in  export  trade  6  years),  who  make  this  report,  say: 

'We  have  to  give  feet,  inches,  etc.  as  well  as  metric  measurements  in  some  cases." 

Oilless  bearings:  Slightly  (1).  The  Bound  Brook  Oilless  Bearing 
Company,  who  make  this  report,  say: 

"Only  on  rare  occasions  do  we  receive  an  order  in  metric  measurements." 

Oxygen  apparatus:  Extensively  (1). 

Packing  house  products  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (1).  Libby,  Me  Neill 
&  Libby  (in  export  trade  40  years)  write : 

"About  the  only  business  which  we  have  ever  done  which  required  special  metric 
packing  was  occasional  French  Government  business." 

Power  transmission  machinery:  Not  at  all  (8),  Slightly  (3).  The 
Dodge  Manufacturing  Company  (in  export  trade  for  25  years)  who  make 
one  of  these  reports,  say: 

Probably  99  per  cent,  of  our  export  production  is  made  on  English  measurements 
and  weights  that  is,  inches,  feet  and  pounds." 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  61 

The  Standard  Pressed  Steel  Company  (in  export  trade  10  to  12  years) 
who  make  another  of  these  reports,  say: 

"Our  Pioneer  steel  shaft  hangers  are  sold  rather  extensively  to  concerns  throughout 
Europe  and  other  markets  where  the  metric  system  is  used,  and  inasmuch  as  in  some 
of  these  countries,  shafting  of  millimeter  diameter  is  used,  it  is  necessary  that  we 
babbitt  the  bearings  in  our  shaft  hangers  to  a  corresponding  diameter." 

'The  T.  B.  Woods  Sons  Company  who  make  the  third  of  these  reports, 

say: 

"The  only  places  we  use  metric  sizes  in  our  work  is  in  boring  pulleys  and  other 
appliances  which  are  used  on  line  shafts." 

Perforated  metals:  Slightly  (3).  The  Harrington  and  King  Per- 
forating Company  (in  export  trade  "many"  years),  say: 

"On  receipt  of  an  order  it  (the  metric  system)  is  changed  to  the  English  system 
and  thus  put  through  the  factory  with  a  few  exceptions.  We  often  use  the  metric 
system  for  specifying  the  size  of  perforations  in  our  own  factory  and  to  both  foreign 
and  domestic  customers." 

Pipe:  Not  at  all  (8),  Extensively  (1).  In  this  case,  cast  iron  pipe. 
Platinum:  Extensively  (1).  Paper:  Not  at  all  (13),  Considerably  (1), 
Extensively  (1). 

Picture  frames  and  mouldings:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1). 

The  Indiana  Moulding  &  Frame  Company,  who  make  the  last  re- 
port, say: 

"Very  few  orders  received  requiring  lengths  or  sizes  in  meters." 

Piping:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (1).  The  Ballwood  Company  (in  ex- 
port trade  five  years)  who  make  this  last  report,  say: 

"We  sometimes  get  orders  for  pipe,  the  lengths  and  flanges  of  which  have  to  be 
finished  to  metric  dimensions." 

Paper  cutters:  Slightly  (1)  The  Chandler  &  Price  Company 
(in  export  trade  20  years)  who  make  this  report,  say: 

"On  a  few  paper  cutters,  we  use  the  metric  system  in  graduating  the  brass  rule  on 
the  bed." 

Rubber  goods,  including  automobile  tires,  hose,  etc.  Not  at  all 
(11),  Slightly  (9),  Considerably  (2),  Extensively  (1).  The  practice 
regarding  automobile  tires  is  given  above  under  automobiles.  The 
Boston  Woven  Hose  and  Rubber  Company  (in  export  trade  30  years) 
who  report  " Slightly"  say: 

"The  manufacture  of  hose  for  countries  using  the  metric  system  is  identical  with 
the  process  used  for  hose  consumed  in  this  country  with  the  single  exception  that  the 
hose  is  made  of  a  definite  number  of  meters  long  instead  of  feet." 

The  Electric  Hose  and  Rubber  Company  (in  export  trade  12  years) 
who  report  "Slightly",  say: 

"We  ship  goods  to  metric  countries  made  to  both  English  and  millimeter  sizes, 
about  2  per  cent,  of  which  are  made  to  millimeters  and  the  balance  to  English  sizes." 


62  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

The  Manhattan  Rubber  Manufacturing  Company  (in  export  trade 
20  years)  who  report  "Slightly",  say: 

"Some  buyers  in  metric  countries  insist  on  metric  measurements,  others  do  not. 
In  not  more  than  twenty  cases  in  a  year's  time  goods  are  ordered  from  us  with  the 
dimensions  specified  in  the  metric  system." 

The  Lee  Tire  and  Rubber  Company  (in  export  trade  6  years)  who 
report  "Slightly",  say: 

"We  ship  both  English  and  millimeter  sizes  to  South  America." 

The  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber  Company  who  have  been  widely 
heralded  as  having  "adopted"  the  metric  system,  say: 

"We  are  shipping  tires  made  in  both  English  and  metric  sizes  to  countries  using 
the  metric  system.  We  estimate  that  somewhat  less  than  20  per  cent,  of  our  total 
tire  exports  are  made  up  of  metric  sizes.  In  addition,  we  are  actually  making  partial 
use  of  the  metric  system  in  manufacturing  practice."  [and  "partial  use"  is  as  far  as 
they  will  ever  get.] 

Railway  material:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (2).  The  National 
Malleable  Castings  Company  (in  export  trade  " several"  years)  say: 

"We  have  had  to  work  from  the  metric  system  dimensions  on  some  of  the  foreign 
blue  prints  that  we  have  furnished.  The  use  we  make  of  the  metric  system  is  so 
small  as  hardly  to  be  considered." 

Seamless  Steel  Tubing:  Not  at  all  (1),  Slightly  (2).  The  Elwood 
Ivins  Tube  Works  (in  export  trade  20  years  or  more)  who  make  one  of 
these  reports  say : 

"When  any  person  orders  tubing  made  by  metric  measure,  we  immediately  trans- 
late it  in  decimals  of  an  inch.  We  never  bill  our  tubes  in  metric  measure,  billing 
them  in  decimals  of  an  inch.  It  is  not  by  any  means  frequent  that  we  get  orders  by 
metric  measure." 

Steel  and  iron  products:  Not  at  all  (31),  Slightly  (1),  Considerably 
(2).  Shackle  bolts  and  auto  accessories:  Slightly  (1).  The  Bowen 
Manufacturing  Company  (in  export  trade  22  years)  who  make  this  report 
say: 

"On  one  occasion  we  had  to  make  a  lot  of  spring  shackle  bolts  having  a  metric 
thread  at  one  end." 

Sugar  machinery:  Not  at  all  (8),  Slightly  (2).  The  Joubert  & 
Goslin  Machine  and  Foundry  Company  (in  export  trade  12  years) 
who  make  one  of  these  reports,  say : 

"The  only  time  that  we  are  called  upon  to  follow  metric  dimensions  is  where  we 
furnish  some  repair  part  or  make  some  addition  to  a  machine  built  in  Europe." 

Lewis  Colwell  (in  export  trade  20  years)  who  makes  the  other  of  these 
reports  says : 

"Only  when  repairs  or  changes  are  required  of  installation  of  some  foreign 
manufacture." 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  63 

Scientific  instruments:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1),  Extensively  (1). 
The  Brown  Instrument  Company  say: 

"We  build  instruments  [pyrometers]  using  both  the  Fahrenheit  and  the  Centi- 
grade scales.  In  this  country  probably  one  out  of  every  hundred  orders  calls  for 
the  Centigrade  range." 

Semi-rare  ores  and  their  products:  Slightly    (1).     The  Foote  Mineral 
Company  (in  export  trade  41  years)  say: 

"We  believe  that  less  than  half  our  foreign  trade  requests  the  marks  on  either  in- 
voice or  packages  to  be  in  metric  units,  and  we  believe  that  not  more  than  5  per  cent, 
of  it  requires  that  the  containers  or  goods  be  actually  metric  in  character  as  well  as 
in  marks." 

Sugar,  coffee  and  rice  machinery:  Considerably  (1).  The  Bahmann 
Iron  Works  Company  (in  export  trade  eight  years)  who  make  this  report, 
say: 

"We  have  considerable  repair  work  for  existing  machinery  in  South  American 
countries." 

Steam  and  plumbing  supplies:  Not  at  all  (4),  Slightly  (1).     The  John 
Simmons  Company  (in  export  trade  27  years)  say: 
"Lengths  of  pipe  in  meters  for  some  countries." 

Springs:  Slightly  (1).  The  Mather  Spring  Company  who  make  this 
report  say: 

"We  find  that  in  general  the  English  dimensions  have  proven  satisfactory  except 
in  a  very  few  cases." 

Safety  fuse:  Slightly  (1).  The  Ensign  Bickford  Company  (in  export 
trade  50  years)  who  make  this  report,  say : 

"For  export  to  South  America  and  certain  other  countries,  we  are  often  required 
to  measure  the  length  of  the  fuse  as  well  as  give  dimensions  and  weights  in  metric 
units." 

Shirts  and  collars:  Not  at  all  (2),  Slightly  (1).  Surgical,  dental  and 
hospital  equipment  and  supplies:  Not  at  all  (7),  Slightly  (1).  Spark 
plugs:  Not  at  all  (1),  Considerably  (1).  The  New  York  &  Brooklyn 
Auto  Supply  Company  say : 

"  According  to  our  experience  50  per  cent,  are  shipped  in  metric  thread  and  the 
balance  in  American  threads." 

Textile  machinery:  Not  at  all  (9),  Slightly  (1).  J.  E.  W  indie  (in 
export  trade  "several"  years)  says: 

"  We  have  had  to  make  measuring  dials  register  in  metric  measure  on  several 
machines  we  have  exported  the  past  few  years." 

Tractors:  Not  at  all  (4),  Slightly  (1).  The  Knox  Motors  Company 
(in  export  trade  three  years)  say: 

"  Metric  sized  spark  plugs  are  used  in  our  cylinders  on  export  shipments,  also 
metric  measure  is  used  in  some  ball  bearings." 


64  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Transmissions  for  marine  explosive  engines:  Slightly  (1).  The 
Evans  Stamping  and  Plating  Company  (in  export  trade  six  years)  who 
make  this  report,  say: 

"On  shipments  to  Belgium  to  fit  shafts  to  metric  dimensions." 

Tobacco:  Not  at  all  (7),  Slightly  (1).  Textiles:  Not  at  all  (13), 
Considerably  (1). 

Stay  bolts:  Slightly  (1). 

The  Flannery  Bolt  Company  (in  export  trade  10  years)  who  make 
this  report,  say: 

"We  furnished  goods  to  certain  countries  where  it  was  necessary  to  state  both 
millimeter  and  English  sizes.  We  have  not  really  furnished  anything  to  millimeter 
size  alone." 

Tool  holders:  Slightly  (1).  The  Western  Tool  and  Manufacturing 
Company  (in  export  trade  10  years)  say  that  this  refers  to  threading 
tools  only. 

Vulcanized  fibre,  Extensively  (1). 

Watches  and  watch  cases:  Not  at  all  (5),  Extensively  (2). 

The  metric  system  was  not  originally  applied  to  American  watch 
manufacture  for  the  benefit  of  export  trade,  but  because  it  was  believed 
to  be  better  adapted  to  the  industry.  The  pioneer  American  (the 
Waltham)  works  adopted  it  at  an  early  date  and  have  continued  it. 
Later,  the  Waterbury  (now  the  Ingersoll)  Works  were  fitted  out  by  men 
from  the  Waltham  Works  who  took  the  metric  system  with  them, 
but  that  is  as  far  as  the  influence  of  the  Waltham  Works  has  gone — all 
other  American  watch  works  conducting  their  operations  on  the  English 
system. 

Weighing  and  measuring  instruments  including  pressure  gauges,  etc.: 
Slightly  (8),  Considerably  (2).  The  H.  W.  Johns-Manville  Company 
who  report  " Slightly"  say: 

"  When  we  have  orders  for  speedometers  for  Latin  countries  or  Germany,  we  make 
them  to  show  kilometers  and  not  miles.  On  orders  from  Russia,  we  make  them  to 
show  Russian  versts  and  not  miles.  The  number  of  instruments  sold  to  these 
countries  is  very,  very  small  as  compared  with  countries  using  miles." 

The  L.  S.  Starrett  Company  (in  export  trade  25  years)  who  report 
"Considerably,"  say: 

We  estimate  that  not  more  than  5  per  cent,  of  our  product  is  in  the  metric 
system." 

The  Goodell-Pratt  Company  (in  export  trade  22  years)  say: 

"  We  make  a  few  measuring  instruments  with  metric  graduations.  Other  than 
that,  we  use  no  metric  measurements  at  all  and  for  an  average,  over  a  period  of  20 
years,  40  per  cent,  of  our  product  has  been  exported." 

The  Richardson  Scale  Company  (in  export  trade  12  .years)  who  re- 
port "Slightly",  say: 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  65 

"  Our  scales  being  of  the  even  arm  type,  our  weights  are  all  dead  weights  and  it 
makes  no  difference  what  kind  of  weight*  are  used."  [Which  is  to  say  that  the  scales 
supplied  to  metric  countries  are  identical  with  those  supplied  for  home  trade.] 

American  makers  of  weighing  and  measuring  instruments  have  devel- 
oped a  large  export  trade  and,  for  metric  countries,  they  are,  of  course, 
made  to  give  their  indications  in  metric  units.  For  example,  weighing 
scales  of  the  dial  type  are  made  to  read  in  kilograms,  linear  measuring 
instruments  in  millimeters  and  pressure  gauges  in  kilograms  per  square 
centimeter. 

The  substitution  of  a  graduated  dial  reading  in  kilograms  for  one 
reading  in  pounds  does  not  affect  the  construction  of  the  scale,  the  dial 
being  the  only  thing  changed.  We  make  and  export  adding  machines 
for  British  currency,  speedometers  to  read  in  Russian  versts,  weighing 
scales  to  read  in  Russian  poods  and  cloth  folding  machines  to  fold 
fabrics  to  the  Spanish  vara.  No  one  imagines  that  we  thus  " adopt" 
the  pound  Sterling,  the  verst,  the  pood  and  the  vara  for  the  benefit 
of  export  trade,  and  no  more  do  we  adopt  the  metric  system  when  we 
send  abroad  weighing  scales  reading  in  kilograms  or  micrometers  reading 
in  millimeters,  and  for  the  same  reason  the  adoption  of  the  metric 
system  means  the  use  of  the  system  and  all  these  products  are  made  not 
for  use  at  home  but  to  sell  for  use  abroad, 

Worm  gears  and  lead  screws:  Slightly  (1).  The  Hindley  Gear 
Company  who  make  this  report  say : 

"The  quantity  [made  to  metric  measurements]  is  so  slight  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  business  we  do,  that  we  hardly  know  what  percentage  to  claim — doubtful 
if  it  amounts  to  3^  of  1  per  cent." 

Products  not  specified  Slightly  (1). 

EXCLUSIVE    USE    OF   THE    METRIC    SYSTEM    IN    PRODUCTION 

One  representative  of  each  of  the  following  industries  replies  to  the 
first  question  by  placing  his  cross  in  the  "  Exclusively  "  line. 

Carbon  products  (1),  proprietary  medicines  (1),  coin  operated  ma- 
chines and  violino  virtuoso  instruments  (1),  piston  head  packing  rings  for 
automobiles  (1),  drills,  reamurs  and  tools  (1). 


66  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

THE  SECOND  QUESTION 

We  have  found  it  advisable  to  pack  our  goods  for  trade  with  metric  countries  in 
containers  of  metric  dimensions  or  containing  metric  weights  to  the  following  extent. 

The  use  of  the  metric  system  disclosed  by  the  second  question,  while 
of  trifling  importance  as  compared  with  the  use  covered  by  the  first 
question,  is  even  more  instructive  as  a  means  of  showing  the  slight  call  for 
its  adoption  for  the  benefit  of  export  trade. 

If  we  pass  over  the  use  of  the  system  in  shipments  due  to  the  fact 
that  several  foreign  governments  compel  its  use  for  customs  purposes, 
the  results  are  suitable  for  derision  and  the  conclusion  is  forced  upon  us 
that,  were  this  government  support  withdrawn  and  the  system  left  to 
stand  or  fall  by  its  merits,  this  commercial  use  of  it  would  practically 
disappear  from  our  export  trade. 

With  the  trifling  number  of  manufacturers  who  report  that  they  have 
found  it  worth  while  to  adopt  metric  containers,  the  moral  is  obvious 
and  shows  the  futility  of,  for  example,  the  campaign  for  the  use  of  such 
containers  now  being  carried  on  by  the  National  Wholesale  Grocers 
Association. 

We  confess  to  surprise  at  the  slight  showing  for  the  use  of  the  metric 
system  in  this  manner.  With  three  producers  of  food  products  reporting 
slight  use  of  metric  containers  (two  of  them  for  lard  only),  one  report- 
ing considerable  use  of  such  containers,Pand  one  extensive  use,  if  we  in- 
clude corn  products  which  are  partly  food  products,  we  point  out  to 
the  National  Wholesale  Grocers  Association  both  the  magnitude  of  their 
future  work  and  the  paucity  of  their  past  results. 

The  second  question  was  intended  to  cover  these  goods  which  are 
shipped  in  tin  cans,  pasteboard  boxes  and  other  containers  of  definite 
metric  weight  or  capacity. 

Replies  immediately  began  to  come  in  with  crosses  opposite  Slightly, 
Considerably,  Extensively  and  even  Exclusively,  but  with  remarks  added 
in  footnotes  or  accompanying  letters  that  the  practice  consisted  of 
nothing  more  than  marking  weights  on  shipping  cases,  and  bihVof  lad- 
ing in  kilograms  to  meet  the  requirements  of  foreign  customs  depart- 
ments and  consular  invoices  or  of  customers  who  called  attention  to  the 
requirements. 

This  use  of  the  metric  system  is  on  an  entirely  different  basis  from  the 
use  of  metric  containers.  Metric  containers  are  used  because  of  a 
commercial  need  but  this  use  of  the  system  represents  a  case  in  which 
the  laws  of  other  countries  reach  into  our  own. 

Putting  a  machine  in  a  box,  weighing  the  box  in  pounds  and  then 
stenciling  the  equivalent  weight  on  the  box  in  kilograms  does  not  make 
it  a  metric  container.  Should  the  pro  metric  reader  think  it  does,  how 
would  he  classify  a  box  carrying,  as  many  do,  both  English  and  metric 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE 


67 


weights  ?  Is  such  a  box  English,  metric,  both  or  neither  ?  Plainly, 
neither,  because  made  without  reference  to  the  weight  of  its  contents 
which  may  be  expressed  equally  well  in  any  system  of  units  whatever. 

To  clear  up  this  point  the  following  rubber  stamp  impression  was 
added  to  outgoing  questionnaires,  alongside  the  second  question: 

If  this  use  of  the  netric  system  consists  of  nothing  more  than  giving  weights  of 
shipments  in  kilograms  to  meet  Customs  and  Consular  Invoice  regulations,  that  fact 
should  be  noted  under  Remarks  and  Particulars. 

In  many  cases  in  which,  from  their  nature,  the  goods  could  not  be 
shipped  in  containers  this  rubber  stamp  impression  was  ignored  and  Form 
Letter  No.  31was  therefore  sent  to  those  making  such  returns  for  goods 
of  such  character  as  not  to  be  shipped  in  containers.  The  replies  received 
were  added  to  the  questionnaires. 

Following  is  a  summary  of  the  replies  to  the  second  question. 


Count  of  returns 

Per  cent. 

Not  at  all.  ... 

746 

51    6 

Slightly  

24 

1    7 

Considerably 

16 

1    1 

Extensively  

13 

0  9 

Exclusively 

1 

Negligible 

Give  metric  weights  and,  in  a  few  cases,  dimensions 
on  shipping  cases  and  bills  of  lading  

546 

37.9 

No  reply  to  this  question  

99 

6  8 

Total 

1445 

100  00 

TABLE  2. — SUMMARY  OF  REPLIES  TO  THE  SECOND  QUESTION 


LETTER  NO.  3 

Gentlemen : 

Several  of  those  who  have  replied  to  our  questionnaire  added  after  the  second 
question  relating  to  the  use  of  the  metric  packages  or  containers  in  foreign  trade  that 
their  use  signified  no  more  than  the  giving  of  weights  of  shipments  in  kilograms  in 
order  to  conform  to  the  requirements  of  the  Customs  and  Consular  invoices,  and  no 
doubt  there  are  other  cases  to  which  this  explanation  would  apply. 

This  use  of  the  metric  system  should,  of  course,  be  recorded,  but  to  it  a  statement 
of  the  practice  should  properly  be  added.  As  you  are  one  of  those  who  reported  the 
use  of  metric  containers  or  packages,  I  write  to  ask  if  in  your  case  the  practice  con- 
sists of  anything  more  than  giving  the  weights  of  shipments  in  kilograms,  as  explained 
above.  Your  answer  will  greatly  facilitate  the  summarizing  of  our  numerous  replies, 
and  we  hope  to  hear  from  you  again. 


68  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Form  Letter  No.  3  was  not  in  all  cases  replied  to  and  there  remain 
several  classes  of  goods  which  cannot  possibly  be  shipped  in  tin  cans, 
pasteboard  boxes  or  other  metric  containers.  Those  which  obviously 
belong  in  these  classes  are  as  follows: 

Slightly:  Automobile  trucks  (1),  Elevating  machines  (1),  Pumps  (1), 
Automobile  accessories  (1),  Oil  mill  machinery  (1),  Rock  crushing 
machinery  (1),  Oil  well  supplies  (1),  Gas  engines  (1),  Wrenches  (1), 
Belting  (1),  Oiled  clothing  (1),  Counting  Machines  (1),  Cotton  goods  (1), 
Shirts  and  collars  (1),  Steel  castings,  wheels  and  springs  (1).  Total  (15). 

Considerably:  Grain  cleaning  machines  (1),  Electrical  machinery  (1), 
Chains  (1),  Mining  machinery  (1),  Ice  making  machinery  (1),  Automo- 
bile tires  (1),  Machine  tools  (1),  Fertilizer  machines  (1),  Bolts,  nuts, 
and  rivets  (1).  Total  (9). 

Extensively:  Cast  iron  pipe  (1),  Automobile  tires  (1),  Paper  (1), 
Cotton  duck  (1),  Athletic  goods  (1),  Gas  meters  (1).  Total  (6). 

Exclusively:  Machinery  pertaining  to  the  meat  industry  (1). 

There  remain  the  following  industries  which  are  here  credited  with 
the  use  of  metric  containers. 

Slightly:  Food  products  (3)  (in  two  cases,  curiously  enough,  lard 
only),  Photographic  apparatus  materials  and  supplies  (1),  Tape  measures 
(1),  Petroleum  products  (1),  Tobacco  products  (1),  Rubber  goods  (1), 
zinc  products  (1).  Total  (9). 

Considerably:  Food  products  (1),  Scientific  apparatus  (1),  Flour 
and  feed  (1),  Candles,  stearine  and  glycerine  (1),  Varnishes,  etc.  (I), 
Lubricants  (1),  Lithopone  (1).  Total  (7). 

Extensively:  Corn  products  (1),  Belt  preservatives  (1),  Chemicals  (2), 
Candles,  stearine  and  oil  (1),  Radium,  vanadium  and  uranium  (1), 
Products  not  named  (1).  Total  (7). 

Exclusively:  None. 

Put  in  tabular  form,  we  have  the  following  figures  for  those  which  may 
be  credited  with  the  use  of  metric  containers,  although  some  of  them  are 
very,  very  doubtful: 


Count  of  returns 

Per  cent. 

Slightly  >.                      

9 

0   6 

Considerably 

7 

0   49 

Extensively  

7 

0.49 

Exclusively                           .......            

0 

0  0 

Total  

23 

1.58 

Repeatedly,  in  these  papers  such  expressions  as  "to  South  America 
only/'  or  "to  certain  South  American  countries"  appear,  with  several 
special  references  to  Chile  as  the  most  insistent  of  all  countries  in  this 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE  69 

matter.  A  few  follow  the  practice  when  shipping  to  some  European 
countries,  but  the  requirement  that  bills  of  lading  and  weights  of  parcels 
shall  be  given  in  metric  terms  appears  to  be  confined  to  South  American, 
and,  perhaps,  Central  American  countries. 

Replies  to  the  number  of  106  place  the  cross  for  the  second  question 
in  the  Not  at  All  line,  and  follow  this  under  Remarks  and  Particulars 
with  the  statement  that  they  make  out  shipping  documents  and  give 
weights  of  shipping  parcels  in  metric  units.  Such  replies  are  clearly 
a  discrimination  between  metric  containers  and  the  giving  of  weights 
of  shipments  in  metric  terms,  and,  in  the  intended  meaning  of  the  second 
question,  should  be  included  in  the  Not  at  All  replies.  This,  however, 
has  not  been  done,  all  such  replies  being  included  in  the  classification 
of  those  who  give  metric  weights  on  shipping  cases  and  bills  of  lading. 

The  questionnaire  was  not  framed  to  bring  out  the  effect  of  the  laws 
of  foreign  countries  on  shipping  methods  and,  had  it  been  so  framed, 
no  definite  summary  of  the  facts  could  have  been  obtained  because  the 
extent  of  this  use  of  metric  units  in  the  case  of  any  shipper  depends 
upon  the  countries  to  which  he  makes  shipments.  However,  many 
remarks  upon  the  papers  throw  light  upon  this  phase  of  the  subject. 
Of  these,  the  following  are  typical  examples  : 

"In  a  small  part  of  our  shipments,  we  find  it  necessary  to  give  the  weights  in 
kilograms."  (In  export  trade  10  years.) 

"In  some  instances  we  have  had  to  make  crates  with  metric  dimensions  and 
weights,  and  have  given  metric  dimensions  on  invoices."  (15  years.) 

"We  sometimes  mark  tags  and  boxes  with  the  metric  system." 

"Possibly  2  per  cent,  of  export  shipments."     (10  to  15  years.) 

"This  is  not  required  on  more  than  10  per  cent,  of  our  export  shipments."  (25 
years.) 

"In  some  instances  we  have  been  requested  to  put  the  weights  in  the  metric 
system  as  well  as  our  own."  (135  years.) 

"They  [metric  units]  are  used  in  this  connection  but  slightly."  (A  great  many 
years.) 

"Only  a  very  few  times."     (8  years.) 

"We  have  only  made  two  or  three  shipments  during  the  past  year  where  they 
required  us  to  weigh  the  articles  in  kilos."  (3  years.) 

"The  number  of  these  requests  have  been  few." 

"In  a  few  cases,  we  have  been  asked  to  mark  our  cases  using  the  metric  system 
for  weights  and  measurements."  (5  years.) 

"This,  however,  was  done  only  in  possibly  a  half-dozen  instances."     (3  years.) 

"Crates  marked  with  weights  in  kilos  in  a  few  shipments."     (8  years.) 

"We  have  been  called  upon  to  pack  goods  according  to  metric  weights  and  di- 
mensions to  a  small  extent."  (2  years.) 

"We  have  not  found  it  necessary  to  use  metric  dimensions  and  metric  weights 
on  more  than  three  or  four  occasions."  (12  years.) 

"In  a  very  few  instances,  we  are  asked  to  give  weights  to  the  customer  in  kilos." 
(25  years.) 

"In  shipping,  we  are  sometimes  required  to  mark  weights  of  cases  in  kilos." 
(40  years.) 


70  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

"In  some  cases,  mark  export  packages  with  metric  weights." 

"Occasionally,  besides  the  English  net  and  gross  weights,  we  are  requested  also 
to  give  the  kilos."  (9  years.) 

"Sometimes  asked  to  give  all  particulars  of  weights  and  measurements  in  metric 
figures."  (60  years.) 

"For  customs  purposes  in  a  very  few  instances."     (12  years.) 

"Occasionally  we  have  a  request  to  give  size  of  crate  and  weight  of  shipment 
in  advance  in  the  metric  system."  (15  years.) 

"Applies  to  about  1  per  cent,  of  our  shipments."     (20  years.) 

"Occasionally  requested  to  give  not  only  the  weights  in  kilos,  but  also  the  metric 
measurements  of  the  packages."  (10  years.) 

"This  applies  to  dimensions  of  packing  cases  which  all  countries  accept  from  us 
in  cubic  feet  and  cubic  inches."  (10  years). 

"The  request  for  use  of  the  metric  system  is  not  general  or  universal  from  all 
our  customers  in  any  one  country.  Some  customers  require  it,  while  others  in  the 
same  country  do  not."  (30  years.) 

"In  a  few  instances,  weights  in  kilos  have  been  required."     (25  years.) 

"Only  on  rare  occasions."     (20  years.) 

"In  a  few  cases  we  have  been  asked  to  give  weights  in  kilograms."     (25  years.) 

"Weights  of  shipments  and  dimensions  of  packages  in  a  very  few  cases  were 
given  in  metric  units."  (30  years.) 

"Occasionally,  when  so  specified."     (More  than  30  years.) 

"Very  seldom  are  we  required  to  use  the  metric  system."     (30  years.) 

"Occasionally  we  give  weights  of  cases  in  kilos."     (20  years.) 

"In  a  very  few  instances."     (20  years.) 

"We  occasionally  have  to  state  weights  in  kilos."  (30  years.) 

"Weights  in  kilos,  sometimes."     (20  years.) 

"Requests  come  very  infrequently."     (17  years.) 

"Occasional  marking  in  kilograms."     (20  years.) 

"Sometimes  have  to  do  this."     (15  years.)  < 

"Only  in  rare  instances."     (15  years.) 

"Metric  system  used  only  in  occasional  shipments."     (10  years.) 

"Only  on  one  shipment  have  we  ever  been  asked  to  give  metric  measurements." 
(15  years.) 

"Occasionally,  besides  the  English  net  and  gross  weights,  we  are  requested  to 
also  give  the  kilos."  (15  years.) 

"We  sometimes  mark  the  cases  with  weights  and  measurements  in  the  metric 
system."  (10  years.) 

"In  remote  instances  have  given  the  weight  in  kilograms."     (10  years.) 

"In  a  few  instances,  we  have  had  to  state  weights  in  kilos."     (5  years.) 

"We  are  occasionally  requested  to  mark  weights  in  kilos."     (6  years.) 

"We  sometimes  give  weights  in  kilograms."     ("several"  years.) 

"A  few  weights  in  kilos  only." 

"We  are  occasionally  called  on  to  convert  our  shipping  weights  to  kilos  on  export 
shipments."  (4  years.) 

"In  some  cases  where  customers  request  it  we  stencil  on  outside  of  cases  metric 
measurements."  (25  years.) 

"Ship  both  English  and  metric  containers  to  the  same  countries."  ("Almost  a 
century. ") 

"Have  several  times  shown  metric  dimensions,  weights,  etc.,  on  invoices  and 
cases."  (20  years.) 

"Occasionally  give  weights  of  shipments  in  kilograms."     (30  years.) 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EXPORT  TRADE 


71 


Many  more  similar  quotations  could  be  given  but  the  above  are 
sufficient. 

THE    THIRD    QUESTION 

In  our  literature  for,  and  correspondence  with,  metric  countries,  we  have  found  it 
advisable  to  give  information  regarding  weights,  output,  capacities,  over  all  dimensions, 
etc.,  in  metric  terms  as  follows: 

Following  is  a  summary  of  the  replies  to  the  third  question: 


Count  of  returns 

Per  cent. 

Not  at  all...  

835 

57   8 

Sliehtlv. 

279 

19  3 

Considerably  

114 

7  9 

Extensively 

78 

5  4 

Exclusively  

38 

2  6 

No  answer  to  this  question                  .        .... 

101 

7  0 

Total  .      

1445 

100  00 

TABLE  3. — SUMMARY  OF  REPLIES  TO  THE  THIRD  QUESTION 

The  further  we  proceed  with  this  inquiry,  the  more  convincing  do 
the  results  become.  The  use  of  the  system  covered  by  the  third  question 
involves  so  little  that,  did  the  claims  made  for  it  have  any  truth  behind 
them,  this  use  would  be  universal. 

In  the  case  of  machinery,  it  involves  no  more  than  the  giving  of 
capacities,  weights  and  over  all  dimensions  in  metric  equivalents,  in 
the  case  of  structural  materials,  the  giving  of  weights  in  kilograms  per 
meter  instead  of  pounds  per  yard  with  leading  dimensions  of  sections 
in  approximate  metric  equivalents,  and  in  other  cases  the  giving  of 
prices  per  kilogram  or  per  liter  instead  of  per  pound  or  per  gallon. 

Why  do  but  42  per  cent,  of  our  exporting  manufacturers  find  occasion 
to  make  any  use  of  the  system  and  but  8  per  cent,  of  them  to  make  exten- 
sive or  exclusive  use  of  it  in  this  simple  way?  Because  buyers  in  other 
countries  understand  our  units  precisely  as  we  understand  theirs — but 
better. 

Consider  that  90  per  cent,  of  the  great  discoveries  and  inventions 
which  form  the  bases  of  modern  industry  have  been  made  in  our  own  or 
the  mother  country;  consider  that,  but  for  the  ancient  industries,  of 
which  all  countries  have  their  share,  the  industries  of  today  in  metric 
countries  are  little  more  than  copies  of  those  which  have  had  their 
origin  and  development  in  English  speaking  countries;  consider  that 
these  are  the  two  great  manufacturing  nations  of  the  world,  and  that 
for  more  than  a  century  they  have  been  distributing  the  products  of  their 
factories — made  always  to  the  English  units — throughout  the  civilized 
world,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  claim  that  others  "do  not  under- 


72  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

stand  "  the  meanings  and  values  of  the  English  inch,  foot,  yard  and  pound 
can  have  no  foundation. 

CONCLUSION 

The  conclusion  is  that  the  commerce  of  the  world  is  conducted  by 
the  English  system,  and  that  the  current  phrase  "the  international  metric 
system"  is  nothing  but  a  pretext  and  a  sham.  From  Table  I  (page  38), 
we  learn  that  82  per  cent,  of  our  exporters  to  metric,  countries  use  the 
system  not  at  all  in  production,  while  14  per  cent,  use  it  partially  and  in 
ways  that,  when  explained,  excite  derision,  and  a  lonesome  three-tenths 
of  one  per  cent,  really  use  it  exclusively. 

In  the  commercial  use  of  the  system,  the  results  are  equally  striking. 
By  the  supplementary  table  (page  68)  we  find  that  one  and  six-tenths 
per  cent,  of  our  exporters  thus  use  the  system  in  reponse  to  a  commercial 
need,  not  one  exclusively,  and,  while  38  per  cent,  make  some  use  of  it  in 
shipments  because  compelled  to  do  so  by  the  laws  of  foreign  countries, 
these  uses,  in  the  light  of  the  extracts  from  letters  on  pages  69  and  70 
are,  again,  fit  only  for  derision  jand  show  how  trifling  is  the  influence 
of  such  laws  when  confronted  with  the  customs  of  commerce. 

It  is  for  those  who  know  the  facts  to  denounce  the  arrogance,  pre- 
tensions, and,  deceit,  with  which  the  metric  system  has  been  bolstered 
up,  and  to  proclaim  the  English  system  as  the  one  which,  in  the  face 
of  vast  governmental  opposition,  has  conquered  the  world. 


CHAPTER  IV 
CONFIRMATIONS  OF  THESE  FINDINGS 

The  subject  matter  of  Chapter  II  was  first  published  as  a  report  on 
The  Weights  and  Measures  of  Latin  America  by  the  American  Society  of 
Mechanical  Engineers  in  1918.  During  its  preparation  and  since  its 
publication  some  remarkable  confirmations  of  its  findings  have  come  to 
light. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  prior  to  the  appearance  of  that  Report, 
Latin  America,  like  many  other  countries,  had  always  been  claimed  by 
the  metric  party  to  be  " purely  metric."  We  were  told  that  "they  had 
forgotten  their  old  units,"  that  "our  units  are  meaningless  to  them" 
and  that  "we  must  deal  with  them  in  language  they  understand." 
Will  the  reader  please  contract  these  assertions  with  the  following 
facts  from  independent  and,  in  some  cases  metric,  sources: 

CONFIRMATIONS     FROM    THE     DEPARTMENT     OF     COMMERCE*  AND     OTHERS 

Some  years  ago — that  is  before  the  war — our  Department  of  Com- 
merce sent  Mr.  W.  Graham  Clark  as  a  special  agent  to  Latin  America  to 
investigate  the  conditions  and  trade  opportunities  for  the  sale  there  of  the 
products  of  our  textile  mills.  Mr.  Clark  spent  several  years  in  personal 
investigations  upon  the  ground.  He  went  to  Latin  America  in  order  to 
determine  what  we  should  do  in  order  to  gain  the  trade  of  those  countries 
and  in  not  one  of  his  reports  is  there  so  much  as  a  word  regarding  the 
adoption  of  the  metric  system.  Moreover,  he  names  the  system  of 
measurements  used  in  nine  of  the  countries  which  he  visited,  and  in 
every  case  he  confirms  these  findings. 

Since  this  Report  was  published  a  book — Getting  Together  with 
Latin  America — has  appeared  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  A.  Hyatt  Verrill 
and  from  the  press  of  E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.  Mr.  Verrill  has  lived  for  many 
years  in  Latin  American  countries  and,  upon  his  return  to  this  country, 
he  prepared  this  book  in  order  to  place  before  our  exporters  the  things 
that  they  should  do  in  order  to  sell  goods  to  Latin  America  and,  like  Mr. 
Clark,  he  does  not  even  mention  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system. 
Nearly  half  of  his  book  is  given  up  to  an  appendix  in  which  is  given  statis- 
tical and  other  detailed  information  regarding  the  various  countries  which 
are  arranged  in  alphabetical  order.  For  eighteen  countries  he  names  the 

73 


74  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

system  of  weights  and  measures  used,  and  he  confirms  these  findings  in 
every  case  except  one. 

Unknown  to  the  author  until  the  results  were  placed  in  his  hands, 
Mr.  Henry  R.  Towne,  President  of  the  Yale  &  Towne  Manufacturing 
Company  sent  a  questionnaire  to  the  branches  and  representatives  of  that 
company  in  various  parts  of  the  world  and  the  answers  to  that  question- 
naire confirm  these  findings  in  every  instance. 

In  1913,  Dr.  F.  S.  Holbrook  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards  went  to  Porto 
Rico  to  assist  in  weights  and  measures  legislation.  His  report,  which  was 
published  as  part  of  the  proceedings  of  the  annual  Weights  and  Measures 
Conference  held  at  the  Bureau  of  Standards  in  1914;  absolutely  confirms 
these  findings  for  Porto  Rico. 

CONFIRMATION    FROM   THE   BUREAU    OF   STANDARDS 

Quite  the  most  remarkable  confirmation  of  these  findings  is  found  in 
Commerce  Reports  for  April  21,  1919  under  the  subhead  Prepared  by  the 
Latin  American  Division  of  the  Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Com- 
merce with  Assistance  from  the  Bureau  of  Standards.  From  this 
article  the  following  are  quotations : 

Uruguay. — This  system  was  adopted  in  1862  .  .  .  but  it  did  not 
come  into  general  use  until  made  compulsory  by  law  in  1894,  providing 
that  fines  should  be  imposed  for  the  use  of  other  systems.  It  was  found, 
however,  that  customers  continued  to  call  for  articles  under  the  old 
names. 

Argentina. — While  the  metric  system  is  legal,  it  is  only  compulsory 
in  government  departments,  and  a  number  of  old  Spanish  measures  still 
survive. 

Bolivia. — The  old  Spanish  units,  which  vary  greatly,  are  in  general 
use  outside  of  government  and  railway  circles. 

Brazil. — The  Almanach  Commercial  Brasileiro  states  that  the 
metric  system  was  adopted  in  1862;.and  made  obligatory  in  1874,  adding, 
however,  that  as  many  of  the  old  measures  are  still  used  in  the  interior 
of  the  country,  tables  of  equivalents  are  given  in  the  Almanach. 

Chili. — -Many  of  the  country  districts  still  cling  to  the  old  units. 

Peru. — The  American  Commercial  Attache  at  Lima  reported  that 
El  Comercio  "  speaks  of  the  lame  metric  system  of  Peru, "  because  many 
articles  are  purchased  at  wholesale  by  the  metric  system,  and  retailed 
by  another  system  of  weights  and  measures. 

Venezuela. — In  spite  of  the  stringent  laws,  old  people  and  country 
people  cling  to  the  old  units  in  domestic  life,  and  this  will  only  be  changed 
by  the  growing  up  of  a  new  generation. 

According  to  the  Report  to  the  International  High  Commission  on  The 
Metric  System  in  Export  Trade,  prepared  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau 


CONFIRMATIONS  OF  THESE  FINDINGS  75 

of  Standards,  the  metric  system  is  "  obligatory"  in  all  of  these  seven  coun- 
tries except  Bolivia  and  Venezuela. 

When  did  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards  stop  accepting  and 
publishing  floating  rumor  and  gossip  as  fact  and  begin  a  real  investigation 
of  facts?  Since  learning  that  this  rumor  and  gossip  is  unfounded  has  he 
withdrawn  his  report  from  circulation? 

When  reading  these  extracts  from  Commerce  Reports,  it  should  not 
be  forgotten  that  the  seven  countries  referred  to  therein  are  all  from  those 
in  which  Chapter  II  shows  the  system  to  have  made  the  greatest  progress, 
while  to  the  ten  countries  wherein  Chapter  II  shows  the  system  to  have 
made  substantially  no  progress  among  the  people  and  to  the  five  countries 
in  which  the  English  units  are  shown  to  be  used  far  more  than  the  metric, 
no  reference  whatever  is  made. 

During  the  years  1917  and  1918  the  author  attended  three  foreign 
trade  conventions — those  of  the  National  Foreign  Trade  Council  and  of 
the  American  Manufacturers  Export  Association.  At  all  of  these  Con- 
ventions, so  many  papers  were  offered  that  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  be 
held  in  parallel  sessions.  At  one  of  them  an  afternoon  session  was  de- 
voted to  education  for  foreign  trade  and  in  no  one  of  the  papers  read  at 
that  session  or  at  any  other  session  of  any  of  the  conventions  was  the 
adoption  of  the  metric  system  for  the  benefit  of  export  trade  so  much  as 
mentioned,  and  it  is  to  be.  remembered  that  the  papers  read  at  these  Con- 
ventions were  prepared  by  those  who  are  in  immediate  contact  with 
export  trade. 

CONFIEMATIONS  BY  METRIC  ADVOCATES 

It  is  a  striking  fact  that  most  of  our  contentions  have  been  admitted 
by  the  better  informed  metric  advocates,  whose  adherence  to  the  pro- 
paganda is  a  counsel  of  perfection  rather  than  an  expectation  of  early  im- 
provement. From  many  such  admissions1  the  following  is  selected  from  a 
pro-metric  article  by  a  staunch  metric  advocate,  Prof.  J.  Le  Conte 
Stevens,  published  in  Science  for  Aug.  5,  1904. 

"A  century  has  not  been  sufficient  to  cause  the  abolition  of  old  names  and  units 
among  the  common  people  in  France,  whether  in  city  or  country,  resort  to  them 
being  usual  when  no  penalty  is  involved.  The  same  is  true  in  Germany  and  Switzer- 
land and  every  other  country  where  the  metric  system  is  in  business  transactions, 
either  obligatory  or  permissive.  .  .  .  Reasonably  complete  assimilation  will  take 
several  generations.  .  .  .  Advocates  of  the  metric  system  deceive  themselves  if 
they  think  that  new  standards  can  be  established  among  the  masses  by  statute  or 
otherwise  within  a  few  years.  .  .  .  The  first  result  will  be,  not  the  abolition  of 

1  A  delightfully  naive  admission  is  that  of  Dr.  Simon  Newcomb  before  the  House 
of  Representatives  Committee  on  Coinage,  Weights  and  Measures,  Feb.  8,  1902: 
"So  far  as  every  day  purposes  are  concerned,  I  do  not  know  of  any  particular  advan- 
tage." Admissions  from  pro-metric  sources  regarding  the  time  required  to  learn  the 
system  will  be  found  in  Chapter  XI,  Learning  the  Metric  System. 


76  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

confusion,  but  the  increase  of  confusion.  .  .  .  None  of  us  today  will  live  to  see 
anything  better  than  good  progress  on  the  part  of  the  general  public  in  getting  accus- 
tomed to  the  new  standards  and  losing  devotion  to  the  old  ones. 

"Attempts  in  France  to  dispel  this  chaos  by  legislation  in  behalf  of  the  metric 
system  have  been  rewarded  with  little  or  no  success.  The  statutes  were  passed,  but 
had  no  life.  Scarcely  any  better  success  has  been  had  in  Germany  or,  indeed,  any- 
where else. 

"Hope  of  general  adoption  within  a  few  years  after  the  passage  of  appropriate 
legislation  has  to  be  very  limited.  .  .  .  Nor  must  we  claim  that  such  adoption 
will  simplify  our  weights  and  measures  at  first;  it  will  merely  add  to  the  diversity." 

See  also  the  quotation  from  Professors  Hallock  and  Wade  given  in  the 
Preface. 

In  the  Valve  World  for  February,  1918,  is  an  article  by  its  editor  from 
which  the  following  is  a  quotation: 

"So  far  as  the  market  is  concerned,  it  makes  not  the  slightest  difference  by  what 
methods  or  according  to  what  standards  the  goods  are  manufactured.  The  market  is 
interested  solely  in  price,  quality,  and  adaptability  to  requirements,  and  in  methods 
of  sale,  delivery,  and  payment." 

And  the  Valve  World  advocates  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system 
and  for  the  supposed  benefit  of  export  trade! 

These  findings  are  thus  established  and  acknowledged.  They  can  no 
more  be  doubted  than  can  the  multiplication  table,  while,  against  them, 
are  nothing  but  assumptions  endlessly  repeated. 


CHAPTER  V 
ALL  METRIC  ARGUMENTS  DESTROYED 

On  its  face  the  investigation  of  the  weights  and  measures  of  Latin 
America  given  in  Chapter  II  sets  forth  a  volume  of  facts,  but  it  also 
disproves  many  theories. 

The  first  theory  is  that  it  is  an  easy  and  simple  matter  for  a  country  to 
change  its  system  of  weights  and  measures.  Here  we  have  the  results  of 
twenty  attempts  to  bring  about  this  change,  most  of  which  date  from 
about  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  With  but  one  exception  the  result 
has  been  grotesque  failure,  while  in  none  has  the  attempt  to  retire  old 
units  been  successful. 

It  is  on  this  theory  that  the  entire  metric  case  is  based.  Once  one 
has  accepted  the  idea  that  a  country  may  easily  change  its  weights  and 
measures,  it  is  a  short  step  to  the  conclusion  that  those  who  have  tried  it 
have  succeeded,  and  then  another  short  step  to  the  conclusion  that  we 
can  succeed.  The  question  at  issue  is  one  not  of  belief  but  of  fact. 
With  twenty  failures  after,  in  most  cases,  more  than  a  half  century  of 
effort,  the  fact  is  proven. 

The  second  theory  is  that  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  .does 
away  with  confusion  of  weights  and  measures.  These  reports  show  that 
the  actual  result  is  to  introduce  and  not  eliminate  confusion. 

The  third  theory  is  that  the  metric  system  is  in  universal  use,  except 
in  the  United  States,  the  British  Empire  and  Russia.  These  reports 
show  that  in  no  country  investigated  is  the  system  universal. 

The  fourth  theory  is  that  we  must  adopt  the  metric  system  if  we  are 
to  succeed  in  selling  goods  to  Spanish  America.  These  reports  show  that 
if  we  are  to  change  our  weights  and  measures  in  order  to  conform  to  the 
practice  of  Spanish  America,  we  should  adopt  the  Spanish  and  not  the 
metric  system. 

The  fifth  theory  is  that  the  "adoption"  of  the  .metric  system  leads  to 
an  important  saving  of  time  in  primary  education.  Clearly,  with  a  mix- 
ture of  systems  in  use,  children  have  more  and  not  less  to  learn. 

The  sixth  theory  is  that  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  leads  to  a 
saving  of  time  in  calculations.  Clearly,  with  this  mixture  of  systems  in 
use,  involving  the  constant  necessity  for  conversions  between  them,  the 
labor  of  calculations  is  increased  and  not  reduced.  For  example,  con- 
sider the  purchase  at  wholesale  by  the  meter  and  the  sale  at  retail  by  the 

77 


78  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

vara,  or  at  wholesale  by  the  kilogram  and  at  retail  by  the  libra,  all  of 
which  practices  are  found  in  Chapter  II. 

The  seventh  theory  is  that  the  persistence  of  old  units  in  metric 
countries  is  a  persistence  of  names  but  not  of  things — that  the  practice  is 
no  thing 'more  than  the  use  of  old  names  for  new  units.  One  of  the  most 
recent  formal  statements  of  this  theory  is  by  Dr.  William  C.  Wells,  Chief 
Statistician  of  the  Pan-American  Union,  who  says  (Bulletin  of  the  Pan- 
American  Union,  January,  1917) : 

It  has  been  found  somewhat  difficult  in  countries  adopting  the  metric  scale  to  do 
away  with  the  names  of  the  most-used  measures  such  as  yards,  quarts,  pounds,  miles, 
etc.,  or  rather  of  the  equivalents  of  those  English  words  in  the  language  of  the  country 
adopting  the  metric  system.  ...  It  has  been  found  very  easy  to  (substitute  the 

thing,  although  sometimes  difficult  to  substitute  the  word Scarcely  a  vestige 

of  the  old  system  is  left  in  any  country  that  adopted  the  metric  system.  Now  and 
then  in  Latin  American  countries  one  will  hear  the  old  words,  but  almost  always 
with  a  meaning  adapted  to  the  new  scale. 

The  replies  to  the  Latin  American  questionnaire  are  sprinkled  with 
such  expressions  as  these : 

"Same  as  in  the  United  States."  "English  sizes."  "For  distance,  the  English 
mile."  "English  and  metric  system."  "French  and  American  indiscriminately." 
"Thickness  of  lumber  is  always  in  English  inches."  "Metric  system  infrequently." 
"The  two  standards  are  used  indiscriminately."  "The  meter  is  used  very  little." 
"The  artisans  of  the  country  use  in  their  calculations  the  Spanish  vara  as  their  stand- 
ard." "  Our  standard  of  weight  is  the  quintal  of  100  Spanish  pounds."  "  The  people 
continue  to  use  the  old  Spanish  measures."  "At  retail,  vara;  at  wholesale,  yard, 
meter."  "While  the  metric  system  is  legal  it  is  not  enforced."  "In  domestic 
business,  only  the  Spanish  system  is  used."  "A  few  French  articles  are  in  metric 
sizes."  "The  cuadra  is  still  commonly  used,  but  is  prohibited  in  the  documents." 
"The  English  measures  prevail."  "Generally  the  English  foot,  exceptionally  the 
meter."  "The  old  Brazilian  system  is  still  commonly  used."  "Cloths  are  sold 
indiscriminately  by  meters,  varas  and  yards."  "  Occasionally  the  metric  ton."  "  The 
metric  measurements  are  sometimes  used." 

Such  expressions  as  the  above,  of  which  there  are  many  more,  cannot  be 
thus  explained. 

Many  of  these  reports  give  values  of  the  Spanish  in  terms  of  metric 
and  English  units  which  show  that  the  old  names  are  not  used  for  the  new 
units.  Of  these,  a  few  of  many  examples  follow  (note  that  the  libra  is 
not  a  half  kilogram) : 

From  Costa  Rica:  Vara,  0.836  meter;  libra,  460  grams;  cuartillo,  4.165  liters; 
botella,  0.67  liter;  manzana,  6988  square  meters. 

From  Argentina:  Vara,  0.866  meter;  pie,  0.289  meter;  libra,  0.4594  kilogram; 
tonelada,  918.8  kilograms. 

From  Nicaragua:  Vara,  33  inches;  libra,  16  onzas;  fanega,  288  libras;  manzana, 
10,000  square  varas. 

From  Ecuador:  Vara,  84  centimeters;  libra,  16  onzas;  cuadra,  100  square  varas. 

From  Guatemala:  Vara,  2.78  feet;  manzana,  10,000  square  varas;  caballeria,  64 
manzanas;  cuadra,  625  square  varas. 


ALL  METRIC  ARGUMENTS  DESTROYED  79 

From  Mexico:  Vara,  2.7  feet;  onza,  1.0148  ounces  avoirdupois;  cuartillo,  1.7 
quarts;  sitio,  1755  hectares;  caballeria,  42  hectares. 

From  Venezuela:  Vara,  0.836  meter;  pie,  0.279  meter;  pulgada,  0.023  meter; 
libra,  460  grams;  arroba,  11.5  kilograms. 

From  Honduras:  Vara  ''about  33  inches;"  manzana,  "100  square  English  yards." 

From  Brazil:  Libra,  0.45905  kilogram;  arroba,  14.6896  kilograms;  oitava,  3.586 
grams;  quartilho,  0.665  liter;  Canada,  2.662  liters. 

From  Peru:  Vara,  83  centimeters;  topo,  5000  square  varas,  or  3485  square  meters; 
quintal,  46  kilograms;  marco,  228  grams. 

From  Chile:  Quintal,  46  kilograms;  arroba,  UK  kilograms;  corcada  (cord  for 
wood),  6  pies  X  3  pies  X  3  pies. 

More  might  be  given  to  the  point  of  weariness,  but  the  above  are 
sufficient.  Not  one  of  all  the  hundreds  of  sheets  comprising  the  replies 
to  the  Latin  American  questionnaire  contains  a  single  item  to  substantiate 
the  theory  advanced  by  Dr.  Wells.  No  proof  of  it  has  ever  been  offered; 
it  is  clearly  untenable  and  must  be  dismissed. 

The  eighth  theory  is  that  we  will  use  metric  equivalents  for  English 
sizes,  or.  as  the  metric  party  put  it,  ' '  Whatever  is  manufactured  must  be 
actually  the  same  size  or  weight  as  before.  It  is  merely  a  matter  of  a  new 
term  of  expression."  Nothing  to  justify  this  theory  can  be  found  in 
these  papers,  no  single  example  of  this  practice  being  found  therein. 
Articles  manufactured  to  the  inch  (wearing  apparel,  pipe,  lumber,  etc.) 
are  uniformly  sold  by  the  unit  to  which  they  were  made.  This  theory  is 
discussed  more  at  length  in  Chapter  XV. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN 

A  favorite  topic  of  the  metricites  is  the  supposed  immanence  of  the 
adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  Great  Britain.  The  following  extracts 
from  the  reports  of  four  British  Parliamentary  Committees  will  show  how 
much  foundation  exists  for  these  claims : 

FROM  THE  REPORT  OF  THE  RECONSTRUCTION  COMMITTEE  ON  COMMERCIAL 
AND    INDUSTRIAL   POLICY   AFTER   THE    WAR 

Having  given  very  full  consideration  to  the  subject,  we  are  unable  to 
recommend  the  compulsory  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  this  country. 

As  regards  compulsion,  the  view  taken  by  successive  Ministers  since 
1887  has  been,  in  the  main,  that  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  change  is 
desired  by  the  great  mass  of  retail  shop  keepers  and  their  customers,  and 
that  their  opposition  would  probably  render  it  quite  impracticable. 

In  our  opinion  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  the  anticipated  uniformity 
could  not  be  obtained  for  a  very  long  period,  if  ever. 

There  is,  further,  the  serious  objection  that,  if  we  induced  the  above- 
mentioned  countries  to  change  over  to  the  metric  system,  we  should  be 
surrendering  to  Germany  the  advantages  which  our  manufacturers  now 
enjoy  over  hers  both  in  her  markets  and  in  our  own. 

In  textiles,  British  measures  are  widely  recognized  all  over  the  world 
even  in  metric  countries,  and  in  the  cotton  trade  British  " counts"  have 
become  the  standard.  By  abondpning  them,  we  should  jeopardize  our 
supremacy  in  this  respect. 

The  foregoing  objections  hold  good  on  the  assumption  that,  on  the 
whole,  the  metric  system  is  superior  to  British  weights  and  measures. 
This  assumption  is,  however,  denied  by  many  opponents  of  the  change, 
particularly  by  representatives  of  the  cotton  industry.  It  is  contended 
that  the  metric  system  is  not  satisfactorily  correlated,  that  the  British 
units  are  superior,  and  that,  for  practical  purposes,  binary  divisions  are 
better  than  decimals.  .  .  .  Lancashire  witnesses  are  emphatically  of 
opinion  that  the  metric  system  is  unsuitable  for  cotton  manufacture,  and 
they  point  to  the  fact  that,  in  metric  countries,  it  has  to  be  modified  for 
that  purpose. 

In  referring  to  these  considerations,  we  have  to  point  out  that  there  is 
no  unanimity  as  to  the  theoretical  merits  of  the  metric  system  as  com- 

80 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN  81 

pared  with  our  own.  The  practical  argument  that  its  adoption  is  de- 
sirable in  order  to  secure  uniformity  in  the  markets  of  the  world  has  been 
shown  to  be  unfounded.  We  are  not  satisfied  by  any  evidence  which 
has  been  brought  before  us  that  trade  has  been  actually  lost  to  this  coun- 
try owing  to  the  fact  that  the  usfc^£l8R!*metric  system  is  not  compulsory. 
...  To  attempt  to  make  the  use  of  the  system  universal  and  obliga- 
tory in  this  country  would  cause  great  loss  and  confusion  at  a  particu- 
larly inopportune  moment  for  the  sake  of  distant  and  doubtful  ad  vantages. 
We  are  convinced  that  so  far  from  assisting  in  the  re-establishment  of 
British  trade  after  the  war,  such  a  measure  would  seriously  hamper  it. 

As  regards  the  educational  advantages  claimed  for  the  change,  we 
have  been  referred  to  a  statement  quoted  by  the  Select  Committee  of 
1895  that  no  less  than  one  year's  school  time  would  be  saved  if  the  metric 
system  were  taught  in  the  place  of  that  now  in  use.  The  information 
that  we  have  received  does  not  support  that  statement. 

It  is  often  popularly  supposed  that  the  introduction  of  the  metric 
system  would  render  possible  the  immediate  sweeping  away  of  many 
complicated  and  varying  weights  and  measures.  As  we  have  already 
indicated,  this  belief  is,  in  our  opinion,  wholly  fallacious. 

We  are  not  convinced  that  the  metric  system  is,  upon  the  whole,  even 
theoretically  superior  to  the  British  system,  and  we  are  satisfied  that  the 
practical  objections  to  the  proposed  change  are  such  as  decisively  to 
outweigh  any  advantages  which  are  claimed  for  it. 

Dated,  December  3,  1917 

FROM  THE  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  REPRESENTING  THE  TEXTILE 
j     TRADES 

The  great  British  textile  trades — and  more  particularly,  the  cotton 
trade — are  so  predominant  in  the  world  that  similar  industries  in  other 
countries  have  had,  in  the  main,  to  follow  their  lead  and  to  accept  their 
technical  standards.  For  instance,  the  " counts"  of  cotton  yarn  used  in 
most  metric  as  well  as  non-metric  countries  are  the  English  "  counts."  . 
All  calculations  of  cost  are  made  upon  the  basis  of  these  lengths  and 
weights  and  any  change  would  produce  for  a  long  time  an  almost  world- 
wide confusion.  Then,  the  yard  is  so  well  known  in  India  and  China  as 
to  have  become  the  linear  measure  of  foreign  trade,  and  a  change  to  the 
meter  would  cause  confusion  and  embarrassment  in  the  largest  and  most 
conservative  cotton  using  markets  in  the  world.  All  our  textile  machinery 
in  this  country  and  in  most  of  the  countries  supplied  with  British  machin- 
ery is  based  upon  British  measures,  and,  as  it  would  be  too  costly  to 
alter  it,  it  would  obviously  take  many  years  to  replace  it,  during  which 
period  spare  parts  would  have  to  be  provided  in  the  old  measurements, 
while  all  new  machinery  would  be  based  upon  metric  measurements. 
For  these  reasons,  amongst  others,  we  understand  that  the  Federation  of 


82  THE   METRIC  FALLACY 

Master  Spinners  Associations  and  the  Cotton  Spinners  and  Manufacturers 
Association  are  opposed  to  any  change.  We  consider  these  objections 
on  the  part  of  the  cotton  trade  add  great  weight  and  we  believe  they  are 
applicable  in  varying  degrees  to  other  textile  industries.  An  argument  of 
great  force  against  our  adoption  of  the  metric  system  is  to  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  a  larger  proportion  of  our  textile  export  trade  is  done  with  non- 
metric  countries  than  with  metric  countries.  The  yard  is  the  standard 
of  measurement  in  almost  all  the  great  markets  of  the  East,  in  the  United 
States,  and  throughout  the  British  Empire.  ...  If  our  present 
system  is  a  disadvantage  to  us  in  dealing  with  the  minority  using  the 
metric  system,  our  metric  competitors  must  find  the  metric  system  a 
still  greater  disadvantage  to  them  in  dealing  with  a  majority  not  using 
the  metric  system.  Dated,  May  22,  1917. 

FROM  THE  REPORT  OF  THE  BRITISH  COMMITTEE  REPRESENTING 
THE  SHIPPING  AND  SHIPBUILDING  INDUSTRIES 

So  far  as  shipbuilding  and  marine  engineering  are  concerned,  we  see 
no  reason  for  the  change.  That  part  of  the  metric  system  involving  the 
decimal  subdivision  of  time  and  the  right  angle  is  most  objectionable, 
and,  if  adopted,  would  most  seriously  prejudice  the  interests  of  navigation. 

The  difficulty  in  general  business  between  this  country  and  countries 
which  have  adopted  the  metric  system  arises  principally  from  the  fact 
that  the  meter  does  not  correspond  to  any  even  unit  of  our  measures. 
Had  the  meter  been  forty  inches  instead  of  approximately  39.28  a  great 
deal  of  the  present  agitation  would  lose  its  force.  Broadly,  there  seems 
no  more  reason  for  this  country  and  the  United  States  of  America,  the 
largest  manufacturing  nations  in  the  world,  to  adopt  the  meter  than  for 
the  metric  nations  to  alter  the  meter  to  forty  inches. 

Dated,  July,  1917. 

FROM  THE  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  REPRESENTING  THE 
ENGINEERING  TRADES 

There  is  no  demand  from  the  side  of  the  manufacturer  for  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  inch  measure  and  pound  weight  and  the  compulsory  adoption 
of  the  metric  system.  .  .  .  There  are  also  two  strong  reasons  among 
others  against  any  change  at  the  present  time.  First,  that  the  expense 
of  the  change  would  be  so  great  in  replacement  of  measuring  instruments, 
lathe  screws,  etc.,  that  the  trade  could  not  bear  it  at  a  time  when  its 
recuperative  powers  will  be  so  severely  taxed. 

Dated,  March  21,  1917. 

A  letter  from  the  secretary  of  the  British  Weights  and  Measures 
Association,  dated  October  10,  1919,  says  in  part:  "The  agitation  is 
dead  here." 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN  S2a 

A  LEADING  EDITORIAL  FROM  THE  LONDON  TIMES  TRADE  SUPPLEMENT 

FOR    OCT.   18,    1919 

The  Metric  System 

"The  advocates  of  a  decimal  coinageweresingularly  unfortunate  in  their  chairman 
at  the  inaugural  meeting  at  the  Mansion  House  of  what  we  gather  is  to  be  a  campaign 
to  convince  the  people  of  this  country.  The  Lord  Mayor  was  careful  to  observe  that 
in  his  official  capacity  he  did  not  propose  to  express  a  decided  view,  whatever  might 
be  his  personal  opinions  as  a  business  man;  yet  he  threw  out  a  suggestion  that  is,  we 
think,  deserving  of  more  than  passing  notice.  Is  it  he  asked,  wise  to  introduce  this 
fresh  element  of  confusion  at  a  time  of  profound  economic  unsettlement?  We  do  not 
think  that  there  can  be  much  doubt  that  the  Lord  Mayor's  question  will  be  answered 
in  the  negative  by  the  great  majority  of  business  people,  whatever  may  be  the  views  of 
that  strange  assemblage  of  unpractical  theorists  who  always  seem  to  muster  round  the 
banner  of  anyone  who  proposes  change  under  the  guise  of  reform.  Not  that  we  take 
any  decided  stand  against  either  the  decimal  system  of  coinage  or  what  is  commonly 
known  as  the  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures.  We  agree  that  there  is  a  great 
deal  to  be  said  in  favour  of  the  slight  alteration  in  our  coinage  that  would  put  it  on  a 
decimal  basis,  and  apart  from  the  very  great  disadvantage  of  losing  that  most  con- 
venient coin,  the  shilling,  we  see  little  objection  to  the  decimal  coinage,  nor  can  we 
disregard  the  verdict  of  the  Association  of  British  Chambers  of  Commerce  and  the 
Institute  of  Bankers  in  its  favour.  Whether  it  be  the  right  moment  to  introduce  the 
change  is  a  far  more  doubtful  point;  we  are  inclined  to  agree  with  the  Lord  Major  that 
the  change  would  be  better  deferred  to  a  more  convenient  season  in  view  of  the  enorm- 
ous difficulties  that  already  beset  the  path  of  commercial  progress. 

"When  we  turn  from  the  coinage  to  the  wider  project  of  making  the  use  of  metric 
weights  and  measures  compulsory  in  this  country  we  are  face  to  face  with  a  far  more 
serious  matter.  No  subject — unless  perhaps  it  be  Mr.  Kitson's  views  on  banking 
and  currency — has  excited  so  much  interest  among  our  readers,  if  we  are  to  judge  by 
the  number  of  letters  that  reach  us,  as  the  proposal  to  introduce  the  metric  system. 
The  evidence  has  been  conflicting,  and  there  has  been  a  general  tendency  to  evade  the 
real  issue,  but  on  the  whole  we  do  not  regret  the  immense  amount  of  time  that  we  have 
spent  in  reading  the  correspondence — letters  that  were  not  printed  as  well  as  those 
that  were.  No  controversy  has  ever  more  convincingly  shown  that  one  is  good  only 
until  the  other  side  is  told.  It  is  not  true,  as  often  assumed,  that  those  who  oppose 
the  compulsory  use  of  the  metric  system  are  merely  antagonistic  to  the  change,  con- 
stitutionally disposed  to  let  things  remain  as  they  are,  and  conservative  on  principle. 
On  the  contrary,  many  of  the  objections  are  raised  on  strictly  practical  grounds  bv 
men  who  are  keenly  progressive  in  mentality  and  outlook. 

"The  whole  question  resolves  itself  into  one  very  simple  problem:  would  it  pay  us 
to  make  the  change?  The  peculiarities  of  our  complicated  system  of  measuring  by 
perches  or  computing  by  trusses  have  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  it.  They  have  their 
uses — They  can  be  relied  upon  to  raise  a  laugh  at  public  meetings — and  the  explana- 
tion of  their  survival  in  actual  practice  is  generaly  found  to  be  simple  and  reasonable, 
but  they  do  not  affect  the  issue.  Even  in  France  the  old  measures  still  hold  their  own 
in  the  custom  of  trade  with  extraordinary  persistence. 

"Let  no  one  suppose  that  making  the  use  of  the  metric  system  compulsory  would 
prevent  the  perpetuation  of  the  practice  of  making  a  truss  of  old  hay  56  Ib.  and  a 
truss  of  new  hay  60  Ib.  There  is  an  obvious  reason  for  the  custom,  just  as  there  is 
for  the  long  hundred  of  eggs  or  the  big  quire  of  newspapers.  Meanwhile  there  is 
nothing  whatever  to  prevent  the  adoption  of  metric  measurements  by  trades  or  pro- 
fessions that  find  them  advantageous.  With  the  development  of  the  modern  tendency 


826  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

towards  standardization  and  combination  in  trade  and  manufacture  the  adoption  of 
metric  or  other  suitable  methods  of  computation  by  mutual  consent  will  become  easy. 
Is  it  wise  to  endeavour  to  force  the  pace?  In  these  columns  we  have  fearlessly  advo- 
cated reforms  which,  though  unpopular,  have  seemed  to  us  to  be  wise  and  in  the  national 
interest,  nor  should  we  hesitate  to  support  the  movement  for  metric  weights  and  mea- 
sures if  we  thought  it  had  been  shown  that  it  would  be  a  benefit  to  us  as  a  nation  to  do 
so.  But  has  that  been  proved?  We  do  not  think  that  it  has,  and — though  the 
matter  does  affect  the  evidence  one  way  or  the  other — we  do  not  think  that  the  advo- 
cates of  change  are  assisted  very  much  by  the  recent  activities  of  the  World  Trade 
Club,  to  which  attention  has  been  drawn  in  our  columns.  The  "Club"  must  have 
spent  immense  sums  on  its  propaganda,  but  one  would  be  glad  to  see  its  list  of  mem- 
bers and  its  constitution,  and  know  something  of  the  sources  from  which  it  derives 
its  revenue." 


CHAPTER  VII 
IS  THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  BETTER  THAN  OTHERS? 

The  movement  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  has  as  its  basic 
assumption  the  belief  that  the  system  is  better  than  the  standard  system. 
It  is  true  that  some  who  have  tried  it  report  that  they  find  it  better,  but 
others  who  also  have  tried  it  report  that  they  find  it  no  better  and  even 
not  so  good. 

THE  VERDICT  OF  FRANCE 

It  is,  however,  both  impossible  and  unnecessary  to  take  a  census 
among  these  people  because  the  overwhelming  judgment  of  the  world  is 
against  the  system,  while  the  clearest  of  all  verdicts  comes  from  France. 
The  metric  system  was  originally  promulgated  in  France  by  compulsory 
law  in  1793.  This  law  continued  in  force  for  19  years,  or  until  1812  when, 
under  Napoleon  who  had  no  faith  in  the  system,  it  was  repealed,  and  the 
people  were  permitted  to  resume  their  old  measures.  This  they  did  at 
once,  reverting  to  the  truly  universal  system  in  which  12  inches  make  a 
foot,  3  feet  make  a  yard,  and  16  ounces  make  a  pound. 

To  distinguish  by  name  this  system  from  the  metric  system,  it  received 
the  official  title  the  Systeme  Usuelle,  and,  while  a  book  might  be  written 
on  this  reversion  of  the  French  people  to  their  old  measures,  it  could  add 
nothing  to  the  force  of  this  title  which,  in  two  words,  tells  the  whole  story. 

This  Systeme  Usuelle  continued  in  use  for  25  years  or  until  1837  when 
metric  force  laws  were  reimposed.  The  new  laws,  however;  omitted 
integral  parts  of  the  original  system,  namely,  those  for  a  year  of  10  months, 
a  week  of  10  days,  a  day  of  10  hours  and  a  decimally  divided  circle  and 
compass.  The  new  laws,  at  least  in  their  enforcement,  related  only  to 
the  units  of  length,  weight  and  capacity  which  fragments  of  the  original 
system,  as  introduced  by  LaPlace  and  his  associates,  are  now,  by  con- 
venient fiction,  called  the  metiic  system. 

The  discarded  portions  are  integral  and  essential  portions  of  the 
metric  system.  It  was  to  insure  correlation  between  angular  and  linear 
measurements  of  the  earth's  surface  that  the  arc  of  the  meridian  was 
measured1  as  it  was  to  provide  correlation  between  measurements  of 
longitude  and  time  that  the  decimal  circle  and  clock  were  included.2 

1  The  kilometer  was  to  measure  a  minute  of  arc  of  a  great  circle  of  the  earth's 
circumference  by  the  400  degree  divisions. 

2  One  decimal  hour  difference  of  time  was  to  equal  40  degrees  of  longitude  by  the 
400  degree  circle. 

83 


84  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

When  these  units  failed,  as  they  promptly  did,  the  meter  lost  all  excuse 
for  existence. 

But  how  are  we  to  account  for  the  reversion  of  the  French  people  to 
their  old  measures  as  soon  as  they  were  given  the  opportunity?  If  the 
metric  units  are  better  than  the  old  ones,  are  "not  19  years  of  their  en- 
forced use  sufficient  to  demonstrate  the  fact?  Is  it  not  clear  that  the 
French  people  reverted  to  their  old  measures  because  they  found  them 
better  adapted  to  their  purposes  than  the  new?  This  is  the  only  possible 
explanation  and  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  this  is  not  the  opinion  of  a 
few  individuals  but  the  verdict  of  the  nation. 

As  Herbert  Spencer  put  it: 

"  For  half  a  century  after  the  metric  system  had  been  legally  established  the  French 
did  not  discover  its  convenience.  The  alleged  discovery  of  its  convenience  went  along 
with  the  discovery  that  they  would  be  punished  if  they  did  not  use  it." 

What,  however,  are  the  results  of  the  reimposition  of  the  metric  system 
in  1837?  These  results  are  summarized  in  an  official  communication  by 
M.  Gaston  Doumergue,  French  Minister  of  Commerce,  Industry  and 
Labor  to  local  French  Chambers  of  Commerce  in  1906  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing are  extracts  in  translation  :l 

"  My  department  at  different  times  has  been  called  upon  to  give  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  Weights  and  Measures  instructions  for  accomplishing  the  total  suppression 
of  the  measures  and  weights  prohibited  by  the  old  law  of  July  4,  1837,  by  the  seizure 
of  the  prohibited  articles.  The  department  in  spite  of  all  such  efforts  has  not  suc- 
ceeded in  attaining  the  desired  result.  The  situation  appears  to  be  due  to  the  per- 
sistence with  which  certain  trades  continue  to  use  the  prohibited  weights  and  measures. 

"I  have  learned  that  in  certain  industries  the  advertisements,  prospectuses,  cata- 
logs, etc.,  used  by  the  merchants  among  themselves  and  also  for  sending  to  their 
customers  contain  the  illegal  expressions.  The  merchants  will  invoke,  without  doubt, 
the  necessity  under  which  they  find  themselves  not  to  change  the  existing  order  of 
things  for  fear  that  thereby  they  may  lose  orders  for  their  goods.  They  thus  continue 
to  designate  in  lignes  and  inches  all  the  articles  they  sell. 

"I  do  not  consider  it  worth  while  to  enumerate  here  the  industries  and  professions 
which  have  continued  to  employ  the  proscribed  standards,  but  they  are  still  numerous 
and  most  of  them  known  to  members  of  your  organization." 

The  letter  concludes  with  an  appeal  to  the  chambers  of  commerce 
to  use  their  influence  to  bring  about  a  renunciation  of  this  illegal  practice. 
Along  with  this  should  go  the  following  from  the  reply  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  at  Amiens: 

"The  Chamber  considers  that,  in  view  of  the  customs  adopted  by  certain  traders, 
it  seems  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  arrive  at  a  complete  suppression  of  the  actual 
conditions;  that,  moreover,  such  a  radical  and  immediate  suppression  would  cause 
profound  disturbance  in  many  industries." 

"Such  a  radical  and  immediate  suppression  would  cause  profound 
disturbance  in  many  industries" — and  this  at  the  end  of  112  years  of 
effort  and  of  70  years  of  compulsory  law ! 

1  We_have  in  this  office  an  official  copy  of  tihis  c^rrimuiucation  in  the  qriginal 


IS  THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  BETTER  THAN  OTHERS?  85 

THE  VERDICT  OF  LATIN  AMERICA 

To  the  people  of  no  other  country  has  been  given  this  opportunity 
to  express  their  preference  between  the  two  systems  after  a  trial  of  the 
new,  but  the  verdict  of  Latin  America,  as  given  in  detail  in  Chapter  II,  is 
unmistakable.  The  system  was  adopted  in  most  of  the  Latin  American 
countries  more  than  half  a  century  ago — in  the  decade  between  1850 
and  1860 — and  today  the  people  use  it  only  to  the  extent  that  they  are 
compelled  by  law. 

In  but  one  country — Uraguay — is  it  really  adopted  for  domestic 
purchases  and  sales  and  this  because  of  laws,  which,  to  us  easy-going 
Anglo-Saxons,  seem  fairly  grotesque,  and,  moreover,  even  those  laws 
are  but  partially  effective  as,  in  spite  of  them,  we  find  many  exceptions. 

Argentina  and  Venezuela  also  have  drastic  laws  but  they  are  not, 
apparently,  so  rigidly  enforced,  as  in  those  countries  we  find  a  much  larger 
use  of  the  old  measures.  In  all  Latin  American  countries  the  use  of  the 
system  is  in  exact  accordance  with  the  severity  of  the  laws,  and  in  most  of 
them,  among  the  people,  it  is  used  but  little.  In  ten  of  them  it  can  scarcely 
be  found  in  popular  usage  while  in  five,  the  English  units  are  used  far 
more  than  the  metric,  although  these  five,  like  the  others,  are,  in  metric 
literature,  claimed  to  be  purely  metric.  Is  not  half  a  century  of  tutelage 
enough  to  demonstrate  the  advantages  of  the  system,  if  they  exist? 
Is  it  not  clear  that  the  people  of  Latin  America  continue  to  use  the  old 
units  because  they  find  them  better  adapted  to  their  purposes  than  the 
new  ones? 

The  preference  of  the  people  of  Latin  America  for  the  ancient  system 
is  not  confined  to  usage  in  domestic  purchases  and  sales.  We  have  an 
accurate  census1  of  the  machine  tools  in  Latin  American  shops  and  fac- 
tories which  is  a  striking  example  of  this  preference. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  non-technical  reader  it  should  be  explained  that 
machine  tools  are  the  machines  with  which  machine  shops  are  equipped. 
They  are  the  foundation  of  modern  mechanical  industry,  being  the  par- 
ents of  all  other  machines  of  whatever  kind  and  purpose  since  all  parts 
of  such  machines  are  made  thereon  and  on  them  every  dimension  of  every 
part  is  determined.  This  is  true  even  of  the  implements  of  war  as  the 
world  has  recently  learned,  war  being,  in  fact,  the  child  of  the  machine 
shop. 

The  census  of  machine  tools  in  Latin  America  under  pre-war  con- 
ditions shows  that  39.3  per  cent,  thereof  were  made  in  the  United  States 
and  43.2  per  cent,  in  Great  Britain — a  total  of  82.5  per  cent,  having  been 
made  to  the  English  system,  while  the  remaining  17.5  per  cent,  were  made 
in  France,  Belgium  and  Germany  and  to  the  metric  system. 

In  other  words,  Latin  American  factories  have  shown  their  preference 
for  machines  made  to  English  over  those  made  to  metric  measures  in  the 

1  This  census  was  taken  by  Mr.  O.  P.  Hood,  a  representative  of  the  American 
Machinist,  who  spent  18  months  in  South  America  for  that  purpose. 


86  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

ratio  of  nearly  5  to  1.  Knowing  these  facts  as  they  do,  does  the  reader 
think  that]  our  manufacturers  of  machinery  will  follow  the  advice  of  these 
well-meaning  gentlemen  who  have  no  knowledge  of  the  industry  but  who 
tell  us  that  Latin  America  will  not  buy  our  machinery  unless  made  to 
metric  measure?  Contrasting  the  facts  with  this  claim,  how  much 
respect  can  you  have  for  the  knowledge  of  those  who  make  it? 

THE  VERDICT  OF  MECHANICAL  INDUSTRY 

Next,  I  wish  to  point  out  that  while  the  system  has  been  repeatedly 
adopted  under  high  hopes  by  industries  in  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain,  it  has  not  made  good  its  promises. 

Twenty  years  ago,  the  Library  Bureau  was  the  star  example  of  the 
progress  of  the  system  in  this  country.  At  the  foundation  of  that  indus- 
try the  system  was  adopted  for  the  manufacture  of  its  products  and  there 
is  on  file  in  this  office  a  statement  made  by  a  representative  of  that  organi- 
zation before  the  House  of  Representatives  Committee  on  Coinage, 
Weights  and  Measures  in  1906  in  which  the  system  was  extolled  to  the 
skies  and  its  supposed  advantages  set  forth. 

Nevertheless,  after  thirty  years  use,  the  system  was  abandoned  by  the 
Library  Bureau,  which  now  manufactures  its  products  to  the  English 
system.  A  similar  example  is  found  in  Great  Britain  where  in  the  decade 
of  the  90' s  the  Willans  &  Robinson  Company  of  Rugby  was  organized 
for  the  production  of  the  Willans  high  speed  engine  for  which  the  metric 
system  was  adopted. 

While  continuing  the  system  for  the  production  of  this  engine,  because 
of  the  difficulty  of  a  change  and  the  necessity  of  continuity  of  production, 
the  system  was,  after  20  years,  abandoned  for  all  new  work,  Willans  & 
Robinson  summarizing  their  experience  in  these  words : 

"  We  are  satisfied  that  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  has  cost  us  a  great  deal 
in  gages  and  special  tools  without  adequate  return." 

Similarly,  the  Ericsson  Manufacturing  Company  of  Buffalo,  New 
York  (manufacturers  of  the  Berling  magneto),  report  that  while  ten  years 
ago  they  used  the  system  exclusively,  they  have  now  abandoned  it. 

The  pioneer  American  watch  factory — the  Waltham  factory — adopted 
the  system  early  in  its  history.  The  Waterbury  (now  the  Ingersoll) 
Works  was  established  by  men  from  the  Waltham  Company,  who  car- 
ried the  system  with  them,  but  beyond  that  the  influence  of  the  Wal- 
tham example  has  not  gone,  all  other  American  watch  factories  following 
the  English  system.  Similarly,  the  pioneer  makers  of  steam  boiler  in- 
jectors (William  Sellers  &  Co.)  adopted  the  system  for  that  product,  but 
none  of  their  competitors  has  followed  their  example,  all  other  makes  of 
injectors  being  to  the  English  system. 

In  the  cases  of  watches  and  injectors,  would  not  the  advantage  of  the 
system,  if  it  had  any,  have  led  to  its  use  by  others  than  the  pioneers  and 
is  not  the  fact  that  others  have  not  used  it  satisfactory  proof  that  it  has 


IS  THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  BETTER  THAN  OTHERS?  87 

no  such  advantage?  Moreover,  William  Sellers  &  Company,  who 
adopted  the  system  for  this  purpose  about  1860  and  thus  have  a  longer 
experience  with  it  than  any  other  American  manufacturer,  now  say: 

"Our  experience  with  the  metric  system,  extending  over  50  years,  does  not  en- 
courage us  to  extend  its  use  beyond  the  borders  of  the  shop  and  the  class  of  work  for 
which  it  was  originally  started." 

Another  example  is  found  in  the  optical  industry.  When,  a  quarter 
of  a  century  ago,  the  making  of  optical  instruments  received  its  great 
impetus  in  this  country,  it  was  found  necessary  to  import  skilled  workmen 
from  Europe  for  the  grinding  of  the  lenses.  Those  workmen  had  learned 
their  calling  in  the  metric  system  in  which  all  their  formulas  and  working 
data  were  embodied  and  they  naturally  continued  the  use  of  the  system 
here.  It  is,  however,  a  striking  fact  that,  except  the  lenses,  which, 
numerically,  are  a  small  part  of  optical  instruments,  such  instruments  are 
made  to  the  English  system.  We  thus  have  two  systems  in  use  side  by 
side  in  the  same  factories,  and  is  it  not  clear  that  if  the  metric  system 
possessed  the  advantages  claimed  for  it,  those  advantages  would  have 
led  to  its  adoption  for  the  remaining  parts  of  optical  instruments? 

It  is  to  be  noted,  moreover,  that  we  are  now  discussing  scientific 
apparatus  which,  although  made  chiefly  to  the  English  system,  is  accepted 
by  scientific  men  as  entirely  satisfactory  for  their  purposes.  This  being 
the  case,  by  what  right  do  these  men  claim  that  others  will  not  accept 
machinery  unless  made  to  the  metric  system? 

Still  another  case  in  which,  after  an  initial  trial,  the  system  was  not 
found  to  justify  the  effort  found  necessary  to  use  it  is  found  in  the  chem- 
ical industry  of  the  Solvay  Process  Company  of  which  the  drawings  used 
in  the  construction  of  the  first  plant  came  from  Belgium  and  were  in  the 
metric  system.  The  Solvay  Process  Company  write: 

"As  the  workmen  in  this  country  were  not  used  to  these  measures,  it  became 
necessary  to  translate  them  into  the  foot  and  inch  system.  In  many  cases  this  was 
done  by  using  40  inches  for  the  meter  which  gave  even  inches.  We  have  stuck  to  the 
foot  and  inch  for  measurements  because  it  was  too  much  of  a  task  to  educate  all  of 
our  workmen  to  the  other  system." 

THE  VERDICT    OF   MANUFACTURING    CHEMISTS 

Among  the  leaders  in  the  movement  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric 
system  are  the  laboratory  chemists  who  tell  us  that,  in  their  work,  the 
system  is  universal. 

The  replies  to  the  questionnaire  which  is  the  subject  of  Chapter  III 
include  nineteen  from  chemical  manufacturers  (page  43)  not  one  of 
whom  makes  any  use  of  the  system  whatever.  Is  it  not  clear  that  if  the 
system  possessed  the  advantages  claimed  its  use  in  the  laboratories  would 
have  led  to  its  use  in  some  of  the  manufacturing  departments?  It  is  for 
the  laboratory  chemists  to  convert  their  own  people  before  attempting 
to  force  this  thing  on  other  manufacturers. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
"SIMPLIFYING"  OUR  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES 

The  chief  criticism  of  the  English  system  is  that  it  has  too  many  ratios 
and  that  they  are  bad  ratios,  and  we  are  urged  to  adopt  the  metric  system 
in  order  to  do  away  with  them  and  introduce  the  single  and  simple  ratio 
of  ten. 

If  our  experience  is  to  repeat  that  of  other  metric  countries,  we  will, 
after  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system,  have  in  use  side  by  side  the 
pound  and  the  kilogram  and  we  must  have  the  ratio  between  those  units. 
Moreover,  we  will  use  this  ratio  far  more  than  we  now  use  the  ratio  be- 
tween the  pound  and  the  ounce.  Things  that  we  need  in  small  quantities 
are  bought  by  the  ounce  and  things  that  we  need  in  larger  quantities,  by 
the  pound.  The  two  units  are  almost  never  mixed  and  conversions  from 
one  to  the  other  are  seldom  made.  On  the  other  hand,  the  pound  and  the 
kilogram  will  be  used  for  the  same  purposes  and  c on veisions  between  them 
will  be  frequent.  For  example,  the  pound  is  the  universal  engineering 
English  unit  of  force  and  weight  as  the  kilogram  is  the  corresponding 
metric  unit  and  conversions  between  them  will  be  of  constant  occurrence. 

In  the  same  manner  we  will  have  frequent  occasion  to  use  the  ratio 
between  the  inch  and  the  millimeter,  the  square  inch  and  the  square 
centimeter,  the  foot  and  the  meter,  the  square  yard  and  the  square  meter, 
the  mile  and  the  kilometer,  the  square  mile  and  the  square  kilometer,  the 
quart  and  gallon,  the  liter,  the  bushel  and  the  decaliter,  the  acre  and  the 
hectare,  etc. 

None  of  these  ratios  appear  in  either  system,  but  all  are  essential 
parts  of  a  dual  system,  and  all  will  remain  as  parts  of  our  system  of  weights 
and  measures  so  long  as  the  English  units  continue  in  use. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  we  will  have  another  class  of  ratios — those 
between  compound  units.  If  the  English  units  are  to  continue  in  use, 
we  must  have;  for  example,  the  ratios  between  the  pound  per  square  inch, 
and  the  kilogram  per  square  centimeter,  the  foot-pound  and  the  kilo- 
gram-meter, the  pound  per  foot  and  per  yard  and  the  kilogram  per  meter, 
the  pound  per  mile  and  the  kilogram  per  kilometer,  the  pound  per  cubic 
inch  and  the  kilogram  per  cubic  centimeter,  the  foot  per  minute  and  the 
meter  per  second,  the  mile  per  gallon  and  the  kilometer  per  liter,  the 
bushel  per  acre,  and  the  decaliter  per  hectare,  and  so  on  without 
end. 

88 


"SIMPLIFYING"  OUR  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES  89 

Circular  No.  47  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards  on  Units  of  Weight  and 
Measure  contains  45  pages  of  conversion  tables  between  the  English  and 
metric  systems.1  What  is  to  be  thought  of  the  addition  of  these  tables 
as  a  preparatory  step  toward  the  " simplification"  of  our  weights  and 
measures?  And  once  we  have  adopted  the  metric  system,  we  will  only 
get  rid  of  these  tables  by  getting  rid  of  the  English  units.  Is  it  not  clear 
that  the  whole  matter  is  bound  up  with  the  disappearance  of  the  old  units, 
and  is  it  not  clear  from  Chapter  II  that  twenty  attempts  to  bring  about 
that  very  thing,  extending  through  more  than  half  a  century  of  time,  and, 
collectively,  covering  a  continent  have  resulted  in  grotesque  failure? 
What  more  can  be  asked  and  what  more  can  be  given  as  an  absolute 
demonstration  ?  -  i 

1  Even  these  tables  are  far  from  complete.  The  author  has  searched  them  for 
many  equivalents  which  are  not  to  be  found  therein. 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EVERY  DAY  LIFE1 

Probably  ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred  people  you  meet  on  the 
street  would  look  on  you  with  amazement  as  one  who  had  wandered  far 
from  the  path  of  reason  and  commonsense  if  you  should  tell  them  that 
there  was  a  well  organized  movement  among  scientific  men  generally  to 
secure  legislation  at  Washington,  changing  the  established  ideas  of  every- 
one in  this  country  as  to  the  weight  and  measure  of  everything.  And 
yet  you  would  be  telling  the  truth  and  the  ninety-nine  would  be  mistaken 
ones.  This  agitation,  which  has  been  going  on  for  years,  has  acquired 
new  vigor,  since  the  war  began  in  1914,  and  is  now  under  full  headway. 

Furthermore,  this  scheme  for  the  compulsory  change  of  the  country's 
weights  and  measures  is  endorsed  by  high  officials  of  the  Government,  the 
United  States  Section  of  the  International  High  Commission  at  Washing- 
ton, of  which  Sec.  McAdoo  is  chairman,  and  Mayor  Peters  of  Boston, 
Asst.  Secy,  of  the  Treasury  Rowe,  and  John  H.  Fahey  of  Brookline  are 
members  having  passed  a  resolution  calling  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the 
metric  system  in  the  United  States. 

A  FEW  EXAMPLES 

Let  us  see  what  this  means.  A  person  standing  5  ft.  10  inches  becomes 
1778  millimeters  tall,  and  without  any  change  in  height.  A  mile  a  minute 
or  60  miles  an  hour  becomes  1.609  kilometers  a  minute  or  96.54  kilo- 
meters an  hour,  and  without  any  change  in  speed.  A  town  lot  60  ft. 
front  and  120  ft.  deep,  with  an  area  of  7200  sq.  ft.,  becomes  18.29  meters 
front  and  36.58  meters  deep,  with  of  area  of  668.9  square  meters,  and 
without  any  change  in  size.  Nine  thousand  pounds  of  coal  at  $11  a  ton 
plus  40  cents  for  carrying  in,  costing  $51.30,  becomes  4082  kilograms  at 
12.12J^  per  tonneau  plus  44  cents  for  carrying  in,  and  costs  the  same 
amount^  $51.30,  unless  the  dealers  change  the  prices  to  convenient 
figures,  say  $12.25  per  tonneau  plus  45  cents  for  carrying,  for  no  one 
imagines  they  would  reduce  prices,  and  then  the  coal  bill  would  be  larger. 
Eight  thousand  cubic  feet  of  water  at  12  cents  a  hundred,  costing  $9.60 
in  Brookline,  becomes  226.53  cubic  meters  at  4.237  cents  a  cubic  meter, 
after  the  water  meters  had  been  changed  from  feet  to  meters,  unless  the 
town  revises  the  prices,  probably  upward,  to  easy  figures. 

1  By  Mr.  Samuel  S.  Dale. 

90 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  EVERY  DAY  LIFE  91 

All  the  standards  of  the  innumerable  transactions  at  retail  would  be 
changed.  Dress  goods  at  50  cents  a  yard  become  54.7  cents  a  meter 
until  the  price  is  raised  to  an  easy  figure.  A  bed  sheet  2%  yards  long 
becomes  228%  centimeters  without  any  change  in  length.  A  man  wearing 
what  is  now  a  No.  16  collar  will  wear  a  No.  40%  collar  by  the  centimeter 
size  and  without  any  enlargement  of  his  neck.  A  lady  who  now  wears  a 
No.  4  shoe  will  have  to  call  for  a  pair  of  No.  25%  when  she  orders  a  new 
pair  by  the  scientific  scale.  A  pound,  say,  of  butter  at  90  cents,  becomes 
.454  kilogram  at  $1.98  a  kilogram.  It  would  soon  become  $2.00  a  kilo- 
gram. A  quart  basket  of  berries  measuring  67  cubic  inches  will  shrink 
to  a  liter  basket  measuring  61  cubic  inches,  and  we  may  be  sure  the  dealers 
will  consent  to  this  without  any  change  of  price.  An  11-ounce  can  of 
beans  becomes  312  grams;  an  eight-ounce  can  of  salmon,  227  grams; 
a  13-ounce  can  of  tomatoes,  369  grams :  until  the  cans  are  all  changed  to 
convenient  sizes  and  the  prices  revised;  upward,  of  course,  to  convenient 
figures. 

All  the  screw  threads  in  the  country  will  have  to  be  changed.  The 
new  couplings  for  fire  hose  and  for  air-brakes  will  not  fit  the  old  and  must 
be  changed  all  at  once  if  fire  losses  and  railroad  accidents  are  not  to  be  the 
result  of  this  scientific  scheme.  Then  there  is  the  indescribable  confusion 
by  the  use  of  the  new  screw-threads  that  will  not  fit  the  old  gas,  water  and 
steam  pipes  and  fittings. 

These  illustrations  of  the  working  of  the  " scientific"  program  of 
weights  and  measures  could  be  continued  indefinitely,  for  it  affects 
everybody  and  everything,  but  I  have  given  enough  of  them  to  show  into 
what  an  extreme  of  confusion  the  affairs  of  the  American  people  will  be 
thrown  if  the  scientists  and  certain  officials  have  their  way.  And  all 
this  bedevilment  of  our  affairs  without  any  compensating  advantage, 
for  no  one  has  shown  or  can  show  the  slightest  benefit  from  the  change, 
say  in  the  typical  cases  I  have  given,  for  example. 

THE   REASONS   GIVEN   FOR    CHANGING 

When  we  ask  why  the  change  should  be  made,  the  scientists  tell  us  the 
meter  is  nearly  one-forty  millionth  of  the  distance  around  the  earth  by 
way  of  Paris,  the  North  Pole  and  the  South  Pole,  that  the  metric  system 
is  the  best  and  its'use  is  sure  ;to  be  universal,  that  it  will  help  our  foreign 
trade  and  above  all  that  it  is  scientific.  The  boys  and 'girls  come  out  of 
the  schools  believing  all  this  "  because  my  teachers  said  so."  The  scien- 
tists and  pedagogues  use  it  in  their  laboratories  and  text-books,  and  have 
decided  that  everybody  else  should  use  it  for  all  other  purposes.  Their 
plan  is  to  jam  the  thing  through  by  the  weight  of  mere  authority  and 
without  consulting  the  millions  of  people  who  have  far  more  at'stake 
than  they  have. 


92  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

A  proposal  to  make  even  a  slight  change  in  the  regulations  for  the 
sealing  of  weights  and  measures  in  .the  city  of  Boston  would  undoubtedly 
and  properly  receive  long  and  careful  consideration  in  the  full  light  of 
publicity  by  the  Mayor  of  Boston  before  he  gave  it  his  approval.  A  id 
yet  the  same  Mayor  will  attend  a  meeting  of  the  International  High 
Commission  at  Washington,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  and  allow  without 
protest  the  passage  of  a  resolution  without  previous  publicity  and  without 
adequate  consideration,  calling  for  a  complete  change  to  the  metric 
system  of  all  the  weights  and  measures  of  the  United  States  in  order  to 
increase  our  foreign  trade,  stamping  that  revolutionary  measure  with 
the  approval,  not  only  of  the  Mayor  of  Boston,  but  of  some  of  the  highest 
officials  of  the  Federal  Government. 

'THE  GROCERY  TRADE 

Great  trades,  such  as  the  grocery  business  are  misrepresented  as  favor- 
ing this  change.  For  example,  Fred  R.  Drake,  a  wholesale  grocer,  of 
Easton,  Penn.,  recently  told  the  American  Chemical  Society  of  Easton 
that  the  compulsory  adoption  of  the  metric  system  has  been  approved  by 
the  wholesale  grocers'  association  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont, 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut.  How  much  the  grocers 
of  New  England  know  or  care  about  the  metric  system  can  be  learned  by 
asking  say  the  first  25  grocers,  wholesale  or  retail,  that  you  encounter 
in  this  section  of  the  country.  The  pro-metric  sentiment  among  the 
American  grocers  is  a  myth.  The  agitation  is  the  result  of  the  efforts 
one  man,  Mr.  Drake,  who  gets  pro-metric  resolutions  passed  because 
the  grocers  know  little  and  care  less  about  the  thing. 

Unless  the  public  is  aroused  and  makes  its  will  known  the  plot  will 
succeed.  If  the  scientists  are  so  anxious  for  uniformity,  let  them  adopt 
the  standards  of  the  people,  for  the  scientists  are  few  and  the  people  are 
many.  Our  foreign  trade  seems  to  be  growing  as  it  is.  If  the  metric 
system  is  scientific,  let  it  remain  so.  If  it  is  bound  to  come,  let  it  come  on 
its  merits  and  let  it  go  at  that.  But  let  us  not  allow  any  scientific  clique, 
and  group  of  loose-thinking  officials  or  any  Congress  to  place  on  the 
statute  books  a  law  punishing  by  fine  or  imprisonment  or  both  the  meas- 
uring of  cloth  by  the  yard,  land  by  the  foot,  the  weighing  of  coal  by  the 
ton,  ice  by  the  pound  and  beans  by  the  quart.  Has  officialdom  fallen 
bodily  under  the  pseudo-scientific  spell?  Is  there  not  one  public  official 
who  will  stand  for  the  people  against  the  scientific  lobby? 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  METRIC   SYSTEM  IN   PRIMARY  EDUCATION 

At  a  hearing  of  the  House  of  Representative's  Committee  on  Coinage, 
Weights  and  Measures,  of  the  Fifty-seventh  Congress,  the  Director 
of  the  Bureau  of  Standards  said:  "  Careful  estimates  by  experienced 
educators  place  the  time  saved  by  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  from 
two-thirds  to  one  year  in  the  life  of  every  school  child."  The  statement 
was  repeated  by  Dr.  A.  E.  Kennelly  in  the  Popular  Science  Monthly 
for  February,  1905,  and  again  by  Dr.  Jos.  V.  Collins  in  the  Scientific 
Monthly  for  December,  1915,  and  it  has,  in  fact,  become  an  accepted 
and  stock  statement  of  the  metric  party  both  in  this  country  and  Great 
Britain.  We  are  never  told  when,  where  or  by  whom  the  estimate  was 
made,  nor  are  the  data  on  which  it  is  based  made  public. 

The  schools  of  New  York  city  form  the  largest  system  of  schools 
on  earth  in  which  a  uniform  plan  of  work  is  followed,  and  the  curriculum 
of  these  schools  supplies  data  for  calculating  —  not  estimating  —  the  time 
consumed  in  the  skKty  of  denominate  numbers  and  weights  and  measures. 
Herewith  is  given  the  official  tabular  statement  of  that  curriculum  as 
issued  August  2,  1913,  and  reissued  June  25,  1915. 


• 
1st  year 
minutes 
per 
week 

2d  year 
minutes 
per 
week 

3d  year 
minutes 
per 
week 

4th  year 
minutes 
per 
week 

5th  year 
minutes 
per 
week 

6th  year 
minutes 
per 
week 

7th  year 
minutes 
per 
week 

8th  year 
minutes 
per 
week 

Opening  Exercises  
Physical  Training,  Recesses. 
Physiology  and  Hygiene. 
English     

75-75 

300-450 
570-780 

75-75 

180-210 
690-780 

75-75 

180-210 
690-750 

75-75 

150-180 
600-630 

75-  75 

..  .  . 

90-120 
480-630 

75-  75 

90-120 
480-660 

75-  75 

80-120 
400-480 

75-  75 

80-120 
320-480 
200-200 

Electives     .  . 

Geography.         .    . 

90-120 

90-150 
90-150 
150-270 
60-  90 

90-150 
90-180 
150-240 
60-  90 

80-120 
120-200 
200-280 

History  

120-200 
200-280 

Arithmetic  .      ... 

90-125 
60-  90 

180-240 
60-  90 

150-240 
60-  90 

150-300 
60-  90 

Nature  Study  
S-iience  

80-120 
80-120 

80-120 
80-120 

Drawing  ...        .           .    . 

90-120 
30-  30 

90-120 
30-  30 

90-120 
60-  60 

90-120 
60-  60 

90-120 
60-  60 

90-120 
60-  60 

Sewing     or     Constructive 
Work  

80-  80 
40-  80 

80-r  80 
40-  80 

Music  

40-  60 

40-  60 

40-  60 

40-  60 

40-  60 

40-  60 

TABULAR   STATEMENT  OF   THE    CURRICULUM  OF   THE    ELEMENTARY   SCHOOLS   OF 

NEW  YORK  CITY 


93 


94 


THE  METRIC  FALLACY 


This  is  a  maximum  and  minimum  time  table  so  arranged  that  a 
principal  may  devote,  to  any  subject,  the  maximum  or  the  minimum  time 
or  any  gradation  between  them.  The  number  of  minutes  per  week 
comprised  in  the  school  sessions  is  1,500,  that  is,  five  days  of  five  hours 
of  sixty  minutes  each  (5  X  5  X  60  =  1,500).  The  school  year  com- 

90 
prises  forty  weeks  and  40  X  T^QQ  =  2.4  weeks  is  the  minimum  time 

125 
spent  on  arithmetic  during  the  first  year,  while  40  X  7-^  =  3.333 

1,OUU 

weeks  is  the  maximum  time  for  that  year.  In  the  same  way  we  may 
obtain  the  time  to  be  charged  to  the  subject  for  the  other  years  and  add 
them  up  thus: 


Year 
1 

2 
3 

4 
5 
6 

7 
8 


90 
1500 

180 
1500 

150 
1500 

150 
1500 

150 
1500 

150 
1500 

200 
1500 

200 
1500 


Minimum 

X  40  =  2.4  weeks 
X  40  =  4.8  weeks 
X  40  =  4  weeks 
X  40  =  4  weeks 
X  40  =  4  weeks 


X  40  =  5.333  weeks 
X40  =  5.  333  weeks 


125 
1500 
240 
1500 
240 
1500 
300 
1500 


Maximum 

X  40  =  3.333  weeks 
X  40  =  6.4  weeks 
X  40  =  6.4  weeks 
X  40  =  8  weeks 


270 
— -X40  =  7.2      weeks 

1OUU 


240 
1500 
280 
1500 
280 
1500 


Total,        33.87    weeks 
=    7.8  months 


X  40  =  6.4     weeks 
X  40  =  7. 466  weeks 

X  40  =  7.466  weeks 

52.67  weeks 
12 . 2  months 


We  thus  find  that  the  time  consumed  in  the  study  of  the  entire  subject 
of  arithmetic  does  not  greatly  differ  from  the  saving  which  the  metric 
party  assure  us  would  result  from  the  omission  of  denominate  numbers 
and  weights  and  measures,  and  no  one  living  can  obtain  a  different  result 
from  these  data. 

In  order  to  determine  the  time  consumed  by  denominate  numbers 
and  weights  and  measures  we  have  consulted  a  progressive  series  of  text 
books  on  arithmetic1  which  were  especially  prepared  to  suit  the  very 

1  The  Pupil's  Arithmetic,  by  J.  C.  Byrnes,  member  Board  of  Examiners,  Depart- 
ment of  Education,  New  York;  Julia  Richman,  District  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
NewYork  and  J.  S.  Roberts,  Principal  of  Public  School  62,  Manhattan,  New  York. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  PRIMARY  EDUCATION  95 

detailed  requirements  of  the  New  York  Board  of  Education.  The 
number  of  pages  devoted  to  denominate  numbers  and  weights  and 
measures  were  counted  (omitting  those  devoted  to  the  metric  system 
and  to  money)  and  then  compared  with  the  total  number  of  pages. 
Assuming  the  time  consumed  by  a  subject  to  be  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  pages  devoted  to  it,  we  obtain  definite  data  for  the  time  de- 
voted to  denominate  numbers  and  weights  and  measures. 

In  the  later  pages  of  these  books  considerable  space  is  given  to  algebra 
and  these  pages  have  been  subtracted  from  the  whole  before  making  the 
comparison.  Dividing  the  pages  given  to  denominate  numbers  and 
weights  and  measures  by  the  total  number  of  pages  remaining  after 
the  subtraction,  we  find  the  former  to  be  6.4  per  cent,  of  the  latter  and, 
multiplying  the  time  given  to  arithmetic  by  this  percentage,  we  find  for 
the  time  consumed  by  tlenominate  numbers  and  weights  and  measures 
as  follows : 

Mimimum  Maximum 

33  87  X  .064  =  2.2  weeks.  52.67  X  .064  =  3.35  weeks. 

In  view  of  the  different  aptitudes  of  pupils  we  have  here  as  definite 
figures  as  are  possible  for  the  saving  of  time  that  would  follow  the  dis- 
appearance of  our  present  system  and  the  substitution  of  the  metric 
system.  The  metric  party  does  not,  however,  even  suggest  that  all  of 
our  present  system  shall  disappear.  There  is  no  hint  that  the  division 
of  the  circle  into  degrees,  minutes  and  seconds,  the  division  of  the  year 
into  months,  weeks  and  days  and  of  the  day  into  hours,  minutes  and 
seconds  shall  be  changed. 

Not  only  must  these  tables  still  be  taught  but  under  these  conditions 
we  would  still  have  the  subjects  of  interest  and  discount  involving  the 
divisions  of  the  year,  longitude  and  time  connecting  the  divisions  of  the 
circle  with  those  of  the  clock  dial  and,  should  the  Shafroth  bill  be  passed, 
we  would  have  our  old  land  measure,  for  the  survey  of  the  public  lands 
is  expressly  exempted  from  the  provisions  of  that  bill. 

Moreover,  surveyors,  draftsmen  and  mechanics  must  continue  to 
deal  with  angles  and  with  the  units  by  which  they  are  measured,  and  with 
these  units  all  must  be  acquainted.  Clearly,  these  subjects  must  still  be 
taught  and  with  them  denominate  numbers  of  which  they  are  examples. 
Clearly,  also,  the  time  required  for  this  work  must  be  subtracted  from 
what  we  have  found  above  to  get  the  net  saving.  We  shall  make  no 
effort  to  determine  the  remaining  modicum  of  saving,  for,  certainly,  the 
case  has  been  made  sufficiently  ridiculous  already. 

During  the  transition  period  both  systems  must  be  taught  and  there 
would  be  no  gain.  If,  as  all  know,  the  metric  system  is  not  now  taught 
effectively,  more  time  must  be  given  to  it  and  the  net  result  would  be  a 
loss. 

When  the  investigation  of  the  weights  and  measures  of  Latin  America 


96  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

(Chapter  II)  was  in  progress,  the  author  addressed  the  commissioners  of 
Education  of  many  Latin  American  countries  and  asked  for  copies  of  the 
school  text-books  on  arithmetic  used  in  those  countries.  In  reply  books 
were  received  from  two  countries  only — Uruguay  and  Colombia.  Uru- 
guay " adopted"  the  metric  system  in  1862  and  Colombia  in  1853  but 
these  books  show  that  the  Spanish  system  of  weights  and  measures  is 
still  taught  in  the  schools  of  both  those  countries. 


CHAPTER  XI 
LEARNING  THE  METRIC  SYSTEM 

The  simplicity  of  the  metric  tables  leads  the  metric  party  to  assert 
that  the  metric  system  may  be  learned  in  an  hour,  or,  at  the  most,  in  an 
afternoon.  When  one  has  learned  that  ten  milligrams  make  a  centigram, 
ten  centigrams  make  a  decigram,  ten  decigrams  make  a  gram,  and  so  on 
to  the  end,  how  much  has  he  learned?  Just  as  much  and  just  as  little  as 
he  would  learn  in  committing  to  memory  the  pronunciation  of  the  same 
number  of  words  from  a  foreign  language  without  their  meanings.  Until 
one  has  acquired  the  faculty  of  visualizing  values  in  the  metric  units  or 
of  thinking  in  the  metric  system,  as  the  expression  is,  the  learning  of  the 
tables  leaves  in  the  mind  nothing  but  a  meaningless  collection  of  words. 
Just  as  a  language  is  not  learned  until  one  is  able  to  think  in  it,  so  the 
metric  system  is  not  learned  until  one  can  think  in  metric  units. 

It  is  no  longer  necessary  to  speculate  regarding  the  time  necessary  to 
acquire  this  faculty,  as  we  have  on  record  the  results  of  experience  and 
from  metric  sources. 

RESULTS   OF   EXPERIENCE 

When  the  Willians  &  Robinson  Works,  of  Rugby,  England,  was  or- 
ganized to  manufacture  the  Willans  engine,  the  metric  system  was 
adopted  for  the  engine.  No  more  favorable  opportunity  for  the  experi- 
ment ever  existed,  as  both  works  and  engine  were  new  and  without  awk- 
ward precedent  or  practice  to  interfere. 

After  ten  or  twelve  years'  use  of  the  system  the  chief  draftsman  of 
those  works,  Mr.  E.  R.  Briggs,  read  before  the  Rugby  Engineering 
Society  a  paper  on  the  experience  of  the  works  with  the  metric  system, 
in  which  paper  this  phase  of  the  subject  was  covered.  Mr.  Briggs  had,  of 
course,  been  obliged  to  acquire  this  faculty,  and  he  had  seen  many,  both 
draftsmen  under  his  immediate  charge  and  others,  similarly  situated. 
He  wrote  as  an  avowed  metric  advocate,  thus  giving  an  added  value  to 
the  following  statement  from  his  paper: 

"There  are  men  who,  by  application  to  the  values  of  the  units,  have  been  able 
in  the  short  space  of  12  months,  or  even  less,  to  think  not  only  in  millimeters  and  kilo- 
meters but  also  in  compound  units,  such  as  kg.-sq.  cm.,  m.-sec.,  etc.;  while  there  are 
men  who,  although  in  daily  contact  with  the  system,  have  hardly  taken  the  trouble 
to  think  even  in  millimeters  in  as  much  as  five  years." 
7  97 


98  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Clearly,  the  effective  learning  of  the  system  involves  more  than  memor- 
izing the  names  of  the  units  and  the  meanings  of  the  prefixes. 

Next  we  have  the  experience  of  the  Library  Bureau,  which  was 
formerly  the  star  example  of  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  this 
country,  and  who  after  thirty  years'  experience  with  it  have  now  aban- 
doned it  and  write : 

"Our  draftsmen  and  mechanics  failed  to  make  any  attempt  to  familiarize  them- 
selves with  the  metric  system,  but  simply  translated  the  metric  dimensions  into 
English  inches  or  fractions  thereof,  and  worked  accordingly.  I  do  recall,  however, 
having  known  one  man  connected  with  Library  Bureau  in  former  days  who  was  in- 
clined to  brag  that  he  had  mastered  the  metric  system  sufficiently  so  that  he  could 
actually  think  in  it  as  well  as  he  could  in  feet  and  inches,  but  I  take  it  that  his  was 
a  very  rare  case." 

Another  example  is  found  in  the  experience  of  the  Ericsson 
Manufacturing  Company,  who  manufacture  the  Berling  magneto  and 
who  write: 

"As  a  matter  of  fact,  ten  years  ago  we  used  the  metric  measures  in  this  plant 
exclusively,  but  owing  to  inability  to  get  American  mechanics  who  could  use  the 
metric  system,  we  found  it  necessary  to  shift  to  the  English  measures  and  they  are 
now  used  exclusively  by  us  both  for  our  product  for  domestic  and  export  manufacture." 

Still  another  example  is  found  in  the  great  chemical  industry  of  the 
Solvay  Process  Company  of  which  the  drawings  used  in  the  construction 
of  the  first  plant  came  from  Belgium  and  were  in  the  metric  system.  The 
Solvay  Process  Company  write: 

"As  the  workmen  in  this  country  were  not  used  to  these  measures,  it  became 
necessary  to  translate  them  into  the  foot  and  inch  system.  We  have  stuck  to  the 
foot  and  inch  for  measurements  because  it  was  too  much  of  a  task  to  educate  all  of 
our  workmen  to  the  other  system." 

Finally,  we  have  the  experience  of  Captain  Mahan  who  said  before 
the  Socie*te  des  Inge*nieurs  Civils  de  France: 

"Although  he  is  an  earnest  partisan  of  the  system,  which  he  has  used  freely  for 
thirty  years,  he  always  finds  difficulty  in  thinking  in  the  system.  Stating  resistances 
in  kilogrammes  per  square  centimeter  conveys  no  meaning  to  his  mind;  it  is  necessary 
to  convert  the  expression  into  pounds  per  square  inch." 

COMPOUND  UNITS 

Captain  Marian's  reference  to  pounds  per  square  inch  opens  up  the 
subject  of  compound  units,  which  are  always  with  us,  and  by  which  term 
is  meant  two  simple  units  connected  by  the  word  per  (cents  per  pound, 
dollars  per  ton,  miles  per  gallon).  All  price  units  are  of  this  kind.  Such 
units  include  at  least  two  simple  units  and  often  three  or  more  (pounds  of 
coal  per  horse-power-hour,  cents  per  ton-mile).  They  are  higher  mental 
concepts  than  simple  units  and  of  correspondingly  greater  difficulty  in 


LEARNING  THE  METRIC  SYSTEM 


.99 


revision.  Clear  conceptions  of  the  values  of  simple  metric  units  do  not 
help  in  forming  conceptions  of  values  of  compound  units.  Thus,  clear 
concepts  of  the  values  of  the  centimeter  and  kilogram  leave  us  in  the  dark 
with  respect  to  the  metric  unit  of  work,  the  meter-kilogram  and  its  rela- 
tion to  the  English  unit  of  work,  the  foot-pound. 

If  one  is  told  that  an  automobile  tire  is  inflated  to  a  pressure  of  75 
pounds  per  square  inch,  he  has  a  definite  idea  of  the  pressure — whether  it 
is  too  little,  too  much,  or  about  right.  How  definite  an  impression  does 
he  get  from  the  expression  7  kilograms  per  square  centimeter?  If  he  is 
told  that  a  certain  field  yields  20  bushels  of  wheat  per  acre,  a  definite 
meaning  is  attached  to  the  words,  but  how  clear  an  idea  does  he  get  if 
told  that  the  yield  is,  say,  50  decaliters  per  hectare?  Is  $1.00  per  stere  a 
high  or  a  low  price  for  firewood?  Are  potatoes,  apples,  wheat  or  corn 
at  50  cents  per  decaliter  cheap  or  dear?  Would  you,  kind  reader,  or 
would  you  not  buy  pine  lumber  at  $10.00  per  cubic  meter? 

This  sense  of  values  expressed  in  our  standard  units  is  the  insensible 
acquirement  of  a  lifetime  and  the  above  expressions  indicate  what  is 
before  us  before  we  have  learned  the  metric  system.  A  few  commodities, 
like  eggs,  are  sold  by  count,  and  of  a  few  others  like  clothing,  the  price 
does  not  depend  upon  the  size,  but  probably  90  per  cent,  of  the  purchases 
we  make  are  based  upon  units  of  measure  and  involve  this  sense  of  price 
values  which  must  be  re-learned  by  every  American  man,  woman,  and 
child.  Until  we  have  acquired  a  new  sense  of  price  values  for  everything 
we  buy,  we  will  never  know,  when  making  a  purchase,  whether  we  have 
before  us  a  bargain  or  a  swindle. 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE    METRIC    SYSTEM    IN    MANUFACTURING 

The  outstanding  feature  of  the  application  of  a  system  of  measure- 
ments to  mechanical  manufacture  is  the  use  of  a  set  of  defined  sizes  to 
the  exclusion  of  others.  The  sizes  shown  by  the  lines  upon  a  scale  of 
inches  are  those  used  under  the  English  system,  while  those  shown  by  the 
lines  on  a  scale  of  millimeters  are  the  ones  used  under  the  metric  system 
and  it  is  the  change  from  one  set  of  sizes  to  the  other,1  which  is  the  founda- 
tion reason  for  the  opposition  to  the  metric  system  among  manufacturers. 

THE   VALUE    OF   STANDAKDS 

We  make  infinite  effort  to  standardize  mechanical  constructions,  and 
when  the  work  is  done  the  standards  accomplish  their  purpose  and  work 
with  so  little  friction  that  we  forget  the  purpose  for  which  they  were 
established.  Most  of  those  who  oppose  the  metric  system;  when  con- 
fronted with  the  suggestion  of  a  change,  throw  up  their  hands  with  the 
remark:  " Think  of  the  cost  of  scrapping  our  special  tools,  fixtures,  and 
gages  and  replacing  them  with  others  made  to  the  metric  system." 
While  this  instinctive  objection  is  of  large  importance,  it  represents  but  a 
trifling  fraction  of  the  value  of  standardized  constructions,  as  two  ex- 
amples will  make  clear. 

The  couplings  with  which  the  hose  ends  of  railway  car  air  brakes  are 
connected  were  standardized,  that  is,  made  interchangeable,  many  years 
ago  at  the  works  of  the  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company.  Because 
of  that  standardization,  railway  cars — both  passenger  and  freight — 
when  fitted  with  air  brakes  may  be  made  up  in  trains  regardless  of  the 
railroads  of  their  origin  and  transported  throughout  our  country.  What 
would  be  thought  of  an  estimate  of  the  value  of  those  standardized  coup- 
lings in  terms  of  the  cost  of  the  special  tools  with  which  they  are  made  in 
the  works  of  the  Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company  ?  Is  it  not  perfectly 
clear  that  the  real  value  lies  in  the  results  which  they  accomplish,  that  is, 
the  possibility  of  interchanging  cars  between  railroads? 

As  another  illustration,  consider  standardized  pipe  fittings.  Because 
those  fittings  are  standardized,  they  are  made  by  the  million  and  may  be 

1  The  suggestion  of  the  metric  party  that  we  continue  to  use  existing  sizes  but 
measure  them  in  millimeters  is  discussed  in  Chapter  XV,  The  Metric  Equivalent 
Scheme. 

100 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  MANUFACTURING  101 


bought  at  trifling  cost  in  any  pipe  fitting  shopr.  '  Tkc^piping  of  a  iniildmg 
consists  of  little  more  than  cutting  pipe  to  length,  threading  its  ends  with 
standardized  dies  and  assembling  the  resulting  pipes  with  their  connec- 
tions and  fittings.  Consider  the  conditions  that  would  obtain  when 
piping  a  building  for  steam,  water  and  gas  were  it  necessary  to  make  each 
fitting  for  its  place  and  to  order,  and  then  ask  what  part  of  the  real  value 
of  standardized  pipe  fittings  is  represented  by  the  cost  of  the  taps  and 
dies  with  which  the  threads  upon  the  pipe  and  fittings  are  made.  Addi- 
tional examples  could  be  given  without  number,  but  these  two  should 
be  sufficient  to  show  that  the  value  of  these  standards  lies  in  the  results 
which  they  accomplish  and  not  in  the  tools  with  which  they  are  produced. 
The  value  of  the  tools  is  not  many  dollars  but  the  cost  of  the  change 
cannot  be  found  on  any  inventory  nor  can  it  be  measured  by  any  scale. 

Consider,  next,  the  result  of  attempting  to  change  the  sizes  of  air 
brake  hose  couplings  to  metric  dimensions  and  the  infinite  cost  and  con- 
fusion that  would  follow.  Air  brake  hose  couplings  are  standardized  in 
order  to  facilitate  the  interchange  of  cars  and  this  the  present  standards 
accomplish  perfectly.  Were  those  couplings  changed  to  metric  dimen- 
sions no  gain  would  result  since  the  new  couplings  would  accomplish  their 
purpose  no  better  than  the  old.  Similarly,  pipe  is  made  to  carry  steam, 
gas  and  water  and  if  our  pipe  sizes  were  changed  to  metric  dimensions, 
the  new  pipe  would  accomplish  that  purpose  no  better  than  the  present 
pipe. 

In  both  these  matters,  what  is  to  be  thought  of  the  suggestion  of  a 
"gradual  change,"  or  of  a  change  "  lit  tie  by  lit  tie?"  Whatisto  be  thought 
of  the  idea  that  air  brake  factories  and  pipe  fitting  shops  should  equip 
themselves  with  metric  tools  and  gages  as  the  existing  tools  and  gages 
wear  out? 

Is  it  not  clear  that  these  things  must  not  be  changed  at  all?.  Is  it 
not  clear  that  what  we  have  to  find  is  not  a  means  by  which  such  things 
may  be  changed,  but  a  means  by  which  such  changes  can  be  avoided? 

In  view  of  these  illustrations,  what  is  to  be  thought  of  the  statement 
by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards:  "The  most  serious  difficulty 
of  all  is  that  we  have  learned  to  think  in  the  old  system,"  or  of  the  one 
by  Doctor  Pritchett  that  "The  argument  for  preservation  of  old  and 
inconvenient  standards  rests  on  no  other  basis  than  the  inertia  of 
mankind?" 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  ENGINEERING 

The  preceding  chapter  on  The  Metric  System  in  Manufacturing  will 
have  made  clear  the  necessity  for  continuing  standardized  things  which 
will  not  be  changed  because  they  cannot  be.  We  may  pass  laws  for  the 
adoption  of  the  metric  system  until  the  crack  of  doom,  but  these  things 
will  remain  as  they  are.  They  supply  illustrationss  that  might  be  re- 
peated to  the  point  of  weariness,  but  they  are  sufficient,  and  they  point 
out  what  we  must  consider  in  the  event  of  the  adoption  of  the  metric 
system,  namely,  the  use  of  that  system  in  connection  with  standardized 
things  made  to  English  dimensions  for  the  indefinite  future,  for  the  simple 
necessity  of  continuity  makes  the  continuance  of  the  existing  sizes  of 
standardized  things  imperative.  We  must,  therefore,  in  engineering 
consider  not  the  hypothetical  condition  of  the  metric  system  standing 
alone,  but  the  actual  condition  of  the  conjoint  use  of  both  systems — one 
in  materials  of  construction  and  the  other  in  engineering  calculations. 

Let  us,  therefore,  consider  the  conditions  to  be  met  after  the  metric 
system  has  been  adopted  but  while  existing  structural  standards  continue 
in  use.  To  make  this  clear,  some  of  the  simplest  possible  illustrations 
have  been  selected  in  order  to  point  out  a  universal  principle. 

SIMPLE,  PRACTICAL  EXAMPLES 

Take  the  simplest  possible  case — finding  the  size  of  a  bar  of  steel  to 
carry  a  given  load  in  tension.  We  place  the  load  on  one  side  of  an  equa- 
tion of  which  the  other  side  includes  as  factors  the  required  area  of  the 
bar,  the  tensile  strength  of  the  material  and  the  factor  of  safety.  We 
write  the  load  in  kilograms  and  the  tensile  strength  in  kilograms  per 
square  centimeter  and  find  the  required  area  of  the  bar  in  square  centi- 
meters, to  be  at  once  confronted  with  the  fact  that  all  American  merchant 
bar  is  rolled  to  diameters  in  inches.  We,  like  metric  countries,  have 
plenty  of  tables  of  areas,  but  in  all  cases  they  connect  diameters  and  areas 
in  the  same  system  of  units.  With  either  system  used  alone  we  would, 
after  finding  the  area,  take  the  diameter  directly  from  a  table;  but  we 
must  now  find  the  diameter  in  inches  from  the  area  in  square  centimeters 
by  calculation,  until  such  time  as  someone  has  prepared  and  printed  a 
transition  table  giving  diameters  in  inches  and  areas  in  square  centimeters, 
or,  by  first  finding  the  diameter  in  millimeters  and  then  converting  the 
result  to  inches. 

102 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  ENGINEERING  103 

An  alternative  procedure  is  possible.  The  formula  might  be  altered 
info  a  transition  formula  giving  the  tensile  strength  in  kilograms  per 
square  inch  and  the  area  in  square  inches.  We  could  then  use  existing 
tables  of  areas,  but  in  addition  to  the  transition  formula  we  would  need 
transition  tables  giving  strength  in  kilograms  per  square  inch.  Such 
tables  must  be  prepared  and  printed  before  this  procedure  is  feasible. 
Whatever  the  procedure,  we  shall  at  the  end  have  the  same  result — that 
is,  the  same  load  and  the  same  bar,  to  get  which  we  have  discarded  ex- 
isting tables  and  made  the  calculations  which  the  tables  have  been 
prepared  to  avoid. 

TECHNICAL  LITERATURE  MUST  BE  REWRITTEN 

This  case  has  been  gone  into  in,  perhaps,  tedious  detail,  because  it 
illustrates  in  the  simplest  possible  way  a  universal  principle:  Whenever 
basic  quantities — loads,  powers,  velocities,  pressures,  capacities,  etc. — 
are  expressed  in  one  system  of  units  while  commercial  materials  are  made 
to,  and  their  properties  are  recorded  in,  another,  we  have  a  conflict  in 
every  application  of  one  to  the  other.  Existing  formulas,  English  or 
metric,  do  not  fit,  and  existing  tables  do  not  apply.  To  suit  this  condi- 
tion, our  technical  literature  must  be  rewritten  from  the  beginning  in 
transition  form  for  use  so  long  as  existing  commercial  sizes  of  materials 
continue  in  use,  to  be  discarded  when,  and  if,  the  transition  period  comes 
to  an  end. 

Illustrations  of  this  may  be  multiplied  to  the  point  of  weariness 
Suppose  we  are  laying  out  a  belt  transmission.  The  formula  for  the 
capacity  of  belts  includes  the  velocity  and  width  of  the  belt,  with  other 
factors.  Our  reference  books  contain  charts  that  give  the  effects  of 
speed,  centrifugal  force,  thickness,  type  of  joint  and  arc  of  contact  almost 
at  a  glance,  but  these  we  must  discard  and  make  the  calculations  which  the 
charts  have  been  prepared  to  avoid. 

With  the  load  in  metric  units,  this  calculation  gives  us  the  velocity 
in  meters  per  second  and  the  width  in  millimeters;  but  when  we  take  up 
the  matter  of  pulleys,  we  find  that  all  pulleys  made  in  this  country  are  to 
inches  of  diameter  which,  multiplied  out,  give  the  circumferential  velocity 
in  feet  per  minute,  and  this  result  we  must  equate  with  belt  velocities  in 
meters  per  second.  Ultimately,  we  must  use  the  pulleys  we  can  buy — 
that  is,  of  English  diameters  and  widths. 

Going  farther,  we  determine  the  shaft  sizes,  to  be  confronted  with  an 
applied  torque  in  meter-kilograms  equated  with  the  resisting  torque  of  a 
shaft  in  inches  of  diameter,  on  which  the  only  available  information  as 
regards  torsional  strength  is  in  pound-inches.  As  before,  we  need  a 
transition  formula^  and*tables  giving,  in  this  case,  resisting  torques  of 
shafts  in  kilogram-inches,  and  as  before,  we  get  the  same  result  in  the  end. 


104  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Since  closeness  of  fit  is  not  involved,  we  may  still  place  a  belt  of  metric 
width  on  English  pulleys,  shafts,  and  bearings;  and  then,  if  we  are  true- 
blue  metric  advocates,  we  will  shout  from  the  house  tops:  "We  have 
adopted  the  metric  system."1 

Do  we  calculate  the  diameter  of  a  pipe  or  a  boiler  for  a  given  pressure, 
it  is  the  same.  From  the  pressure  in  kilograms  per  square  centimeter  we 
get  the  stress  in  kilograms  per  square  centimeter,  to  be  equated  with  the 
strength  of  the  material,  of  which  the  thickness  is  in  inches,  and  all  avail- 
able data  for  strength  are  in  pounds  per  square  inch. 

Do  we  calculate  the  weight  of  structures,  it  is  again  the  same.  We 
have  extended  tables  of  the  weight  of  materials  in  pounds  per  foot  of 
length;  but  if  we  are  to  use  the  metric  system  with  these  materials,  we 
must  have  transition  tables  for  I-beams,  channels,  angles,  bars,  pipe, 
sheets,  etc.,  giving  weights  in  kilograms  per  meter  of  materials  rolled  to 
inches  of  cross-section. 

TECHNICAL   TABLES    MUST  BE   RECALCULATED 

The  matter  of  the  tables  is  perhaps  of  even  greater  actual,  though  less 
fundamental,  importance  than  the  formulas.  Our  tables  are  now  so 
complete  and  comprehensive  that  the  large  majority — in  some  applica- 
tions perhaps  80  per  cent. — of  such  problems  are  solved  by  direct  refer- 
ence to  them,  resort  to  the  formulas  being  had  only  for  occasional  cases 
beyond  the  range  of  the  tables.  All  our  tables  are  based  on  one  system 
of  units.  We  have  no  tables  for  a  mixture  of  units;  and  until  someone 
has  been  good  enough  to  prepare  and  print  them,  we  must  resort  to  cal- 
culation which  the  tables  were  prepared  to  avoid  and,  so  long  as  existing 
materials  are  used,  get  the  same  result  in  the  end.  What  is  gained? 
What  is  it  all  for? 

As  another  illustration  consider  the  most  ordinary  problem  in  hydrau- 
lics— finding  the  diameter  of  a  pipe  to  carry  a  given  quantity  of  water. 
Hydraulic  tables  are  remarkably  complete,  and  most  such  problems  are 
solved  by  simple  reference  to  them.  Using  the  metric  system,  we  have 
the  head,  the  velocity  and  the  length  of  the  pipe  in  meters  and  the  dis- 
charge in  liters,  but  the  diameter  of  the  pipe  is  in  inches.  We  have 
neither  formulas  nor  tables  fitting  this  condition,  and  again  we  must  cal- 
culate and  convert,  our  calculations  in  this  case  involving  the  square 
root  of  the  fifth  power  in  millimeters  of  pipe  diameters  in  inches.  The 

1  This  is  not  sarcastic,  but  descriptive  of  every  "adoption"  of  the  system  of  which 
I  have  any  knowledge,  all  such  adoptions  being  partial.  The  metric  enthusiast  makes 
the  easy  changes.  He  does  not  make  the  difficult  ones,  but  he  invariably  talks  as 
though  he  had  made  them  all.  He  regards  the  difficult  changes  that  he  has  not  made 
as  not  worth  counting.  If  we  are  to  study  difficulties,  we  must  study  difficulties, 
the  changes  which  he  does  not  make  because  he  cannot,  and  does  not  count  because 
it  suits  his  purpose  not  to,  being  the  very  ones  that  must  be  counted. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  ENGINEERING 

results  of  these  calculations  we  now  take  directly  from  the  tables,  and 
again  the  final  result  is  the  same. 

In  the  foregoing  cases  we  have  to  deal  with  repeated  conversion  of 
units,  which  while  bad  enough,  is  not  all.  Let  us  therefore  consider  one 
more  everyday  case  in  which  even  this  will  not  answer — finding  the  size 
of  an  I-beam  to  carry  a  given  load.  Our  span  is  in  meters,  and  our  load 
in  kilograms,  but  the  cross-sections  of  our  beams  are  in  inches.  What 
shall  we  do  with  the  moment  of  inertia?  In  the  moment  of  inertia  of  an 
I-beam  four  dimensions  enter,  two  by  their  first  powers  and  two  by  their 
cubes.  There  is  no  possible  conversion  factor  between  English  and  met- 
ric moments  of  inertia.  Moments  of  inertia  of  all  common  cross-sections 
in  English  units  have  been  worked  out  and  tabulated  in  great  profusion, 
but  we  cannot  use  them  even  by  conversion.  Until  new  transition  tables 
of  metric  moments  of  inertia  of  sections  rolled  to  inches  have  been  pre- 
pared and  printed,  every  calculation  of  an  English  section  I-beani  for 
metric  loading  involves  the  calculation  of  the  moment  of  inertia  for  the 
cross-section  or,  as  an  alternative,  the  use  of  English  units  for  the  load 
and  span.  Which  will  be  done? 

A  FEW  EXAMPLES 

Following  is  a  list  of  a  few  such  tables  that  will  be  needed:  Square 
roots  of  fifth  powers  in  millimeters  of  pipe  diameters  in  inches;  weight  of 
materials  in  kilograms  per  cubic  inch;  board  measure;  section  moduli, 
radii  of  gyration  and  squares  thereof  and  areas  of  rolled  sections;  friction 
head  and  discharge  of  pipe;  weight  of  all  rolled  sections  and  of  rivets, 
bolts,  bars/balls,  plates,  pipe — cast,  welded,  cold  drawn,  etc.;  strength  of 
columns  and  pillars;  strength  and  weight  of  chain  and  rope — wire  and 
hemp;  weight  and  other  properties  of  brass,  copper  and  lead  pipe  and 
other  products  of  these  materials;  strength  and  other  properties  of  timber 
beams,  columns,  etc.;  properties  of  boiler  and  condenser  tubes;  bursting 
and  collapsing  strength  of  pipe;  pipe  flanges;  flow  of  air  in  pipes;  all 
screw-thread  and  gearing  tables;  chain-driving  tables;  the  strength  of 
riveted  joints;  angles  when  considered  as  tapers  per  foot;  chord-spacing 
tables  of  circles;  weights  and  other  properties  of  all  materials  made  to 
wire  and  sheet  metal  gages;  loads  on  bearings;  strength  of  shafting; 
strength  and  deflection  of  springs;  all  machine-shop  standards — tapers, 
dovetails,  machine  parts  and  details,  press-  and  running-fit  practice,  etc.; 
performance  and  power  requirements  of  machines  in  endless  variety; 
strength  of  materials  of  all  kinds  and  grades;  steam-engine  and  boiler 
practice  from  the  ground  up.  But  the  list  is  endless.  If  the  reader  will 
open  any  engineer's  reference  book  and  look  for  a  formula  or  a  table 
(other  than  mathematical  tables,  which  are  universal)  that  will  be  useful 
during  the  transition  period,  he  will  look  long  before  finding  one. 


106  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Of  these  two  requirements  in  preparation  for  the  transition  period  the 
transition  formulas  will  come  first.  We  will  then  be  in  shape  to  use  the 
metric  system,  provided  we  are  willing  to  discard  all  tables  that  have 
been  prepared  through  many  decades  to  shorten,  and,  in  many  cases, 
eliminate  calculations,  the  physical  result  being  the  same  in  all  cases  and 
the  psychological  result  the  proud  and  superior  consciousness  that  we 
are  "  using  the  metric  system." 

We  are  to  discard  these  devices  for  saving  time  in  calculations  and 
make  the  calculations  which  they  make  for  us,  in  the  cheerful  belief  that 
the  loss  will  be  compensated  with  a  balance  to  the  good  through  the  magic 
of  the  "  beautiful  inter-relation  and  correlation  of  the  units."  This  is 
the  hook  which  engineers  are  asked  to  swallow,  and  by  all  that  is  logical 
the  proffered  bait  is  economy  of  time  in  calculations ! 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  these  problems  will  recognize  that  many 
of  them  must  be  solved  by  successive  approximation  or  trial  and  error. 
With  the  tables  we  soon  find  the  appropriate  size;  but  when  calculation 
is  resorted  to,  we  must  calculate  and  recalculate  until  a  satisfactoy 
result  is  found. 

All  this  leads  to  but  one  conclusion:  So  long  as  existing  commercial 
sizes  of  materials  of  construction  endure,  no  sensible  man  will  resort  to 
metric  calculations  with  them  more  than  once. 

WHO  WILL  LEAD  THE  PROCESSION? 

Will  the  rolling  mills  lead  in  this  change?  For  them  to  do  so  involves 
the  duplication  of  sections  and  assortment  of  rolls,  the  doubling  of  the 
number  of  changes  of  rolls,  with  the  resulting  loss  of  time  and  the  ware- 
house stocks  to  be  carried.  Incidentally,  they  will  recalculate  and  reprint 
their  tables  of  the  properties  of  their  sections,  first  in  transition  form  for 
existing  sections  and  then  in  metric  form  for  the  new  sections,  supplying 
also,  meanwhile,  the  existing  tables  for  those  recalcitrant  engineers  who 
prefer  the^old  and  simple  way.  When  it  is  all  done,  the  new  sections 
will  do  their  work  no  better  than  the  old,  and  we  cannot  look  for  enthusi- 
asm in  that  quarter. 

The  doubling  of  stocks  to  be  carried  is  the  minimum  involved.  Dur- 
ing the  transition  period  we  will  have  occasion  to  put  English  pulleys 
on  metric  shafts,  and  metric  pulleys  on  English  shafts,  and  we  will  there- 
fore require  the  foil  wing  pulleys:  English  bore  and  rim;  metric  bore  and 
rim;  English  bore  and  metric  rim;  metric  bore  and  English  rim.  A  pulley 
manufacturers7  warehouse  stock  now  comprises  about  10,000  pulleys. 
The  multiplication  of  this  list  by  four  will  curb  enthusiasm  in  that 
quarter. 

In  pipe  fittings  the  case  is  equally  serious.  The  new  sizes  of  pipe  must 
be  connected  with  the  old,  and  the  most  simple  fittings — nipples  and 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  IN  ENGINEERING  107 

couplings — would  be  multiplied  by  three  and  the  tees  and  crosses  by  not 
less  than  six.  As  before,  the  new  pipe  and  fittings  will  carry  water, 
steam  and  gas  no  better  than  the  old.  These  illustrations  might  be 
extended  indefinitely,  but  one  must  stop  somewhere. 

Shall  we  then  conclude  that  the  change  is  impossible  and  therefore 
not  to  be  feared?  That  would  be  as  shallow,  as  stupid  and  as  fatal  as 
the  worst  of  the  metric  conclusions.  Let  no  one  forget  that,  while  a 
complete  change  is  impossible,  a  partial  change  is  easy — as  easy  as  going 
down  a  toboggan  slide — and  this  partial  change  is  exactly  the  thing  that 
leads  to  the  welter  of  confusion  of  which  the  above  is  a  picture.  Let  no 
one  imagine  that  in  the  absence  of  compulsory  law  he  can  use  it  or  not  as 
he  sees  fit.  Once  here,  we  must  all  deal  with  it  and  use  it,  whether  we 
wish  to  or  not.  In  this  matter  no  man  lives  unto  himself.  Every  metric 
stone  thrown  into  our  industrial  lake  is  the  center  of  an  expanding  area 
of  disturbance.  If  this  chapter  means  anything,  it  is  that  a  partial  change 
spells  total  confusion  and  that  every  introduction  of  the  system  is  to  be 
fought  as  the  intrusion  of  an  enemy  of  our  industrial  life. 

No  manufacturing  country  has  ever  attempted  to  change  its  weights 
and  measures  and  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  are  the  only 
such  in  which  the  change  has  been  proposed. 

France  adopted  the  system  before  the  beginning  of  the  manufactur- 
ing era,  as  did  Belgium.  Germany  adopted  it  after  the  Franco-Prussian 
War  of  1870  from  which  dates  her  entry  into  the  list  of  manufacturing 
countries.  Latin  American  countries  are  not  manufacturing  countries. 

The  manufacturers  of  United  States  and  Great  Britain  point  out  an 
overwhelming  cost  and  burden  due  to  the  adoption  of  the  system  and, 
against  their  case,  not  so  much  as  a  shadow  of  a  precedent  can  be  cited. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  AND  THE  SCIENTIST 

The  adherence  of  many  scientific  men  to  the  metric  propaganda 
makes  necessary  an  answer  to  the  question:  Why  have  these  men  gone 
so  far  wrong?  The  man  in  the  street  has  merely  accepted  the  endless 
repetitions  of  myths  and  fables  and  his  opinion  may  be  dismissed.  From 
the  scientific  men,  however,  we  expect  something  better  because  he  is 
supposed  to  speak  from  knowledge. 

The  scientific  man,  like  many  others,  has  made  the  initial  assumption 
that  a  change  in  weights  and  measures  by  a  country  may  be  easily  brought 
about.  He  had  this  initial  belief  and,  in  his  case,  he  was  fortified  by  the 
fact  that  in  his  own  work  the  change  is  easy. 

In  the  affairs  of  modern  life  there  are  three  leading  applications  of 
weights  and  measures — to  industry,  commerce  and  science — which  applica- 
tions are  named  in  the  order  of  decreasing  difficulty.  In  industry  we 
have  both  the  universal  psychological  difficulty  of  learning  to  think  in 
metric  units  and  the  still  greater  physical  difficulty  of  a  change  in  manufac- 
turing sizes.  In  commerce  the  physical  difficulty,  while  still  present,  is 
nevertheless  much  reduced,  although  the  psychological  difficulty  remains 
in  full  force.  In  science  the  physical  difficulty  nearly  disappears  while  the 
psychological  difficulty  is  at  its  minimum. 

Let  us  compare  the  task  of  learning  to  think  in  metric  units  as  it 
appears  to  the  laboratory  scientist  and  the  corner  grocer.  Should  this 
change  come  to  pass,  both  parties  must  use  the  kilogram  and  learn  to 
visualize  values  in  it  or  to  think  in  kilograms  as  the  expression  is.  For  this, 
the  scientist  must  acquire  a  clear  conception  of  the  value  of  the  kilogram 
and  his  psychological  task,  so  far  as  the  kilogram  is  concerned,  is  then 
complete. 

The  grocer  must  also  acquire  this  conception,  but  his  task  is  then  no 
more  than  begun.  With  the  grocer,  units  of  weight  are  compounded  with 
price  units.  He  buys  and  sells  many  things  of  which  the  prices  are  given 
as  so  many  cents  per  pound  and,  stored  in  the  back  of  his  head,  is  a  whole 
series  of  such  price  units,  both  wholesale  and  retail,  for  all  the  commodities 
that  he  sells  by  weight — this  being  an  important  part  of  his  business 
equipment. 

After  the  metric  system  is  adopted,  he  must  acquire  a  new  sense  of 
price  values  in  cents  per  kilogram  for  all  of  these  commodities.  If  he  sells 
100  articles  by  weight,  he  has  100  times  as  much  of  a  task  before  him  as 

108 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  AND  THE  SCIENTIST  109 

the  scientist  before  he  has  learned  to  think  in  kilograms — indeed,  we 
should  say,  200  times,  for  the  grocer  must  have  in  mind  both  wholesale 
and  retail  prices. 

It  is  useless  to  say  that  he  may  divide  the  prices  per  kilogram  by  2.2 
in  order  to  reduce  those  prices  to  cents  per  pound  because,  so  long  as  he 
has  to  do  that,  he  has  not  learned  the  metric  system  for  he  still  thinks  in 
pounds. 

After  the  grocer  has  acquired  this  new  sense  of  price  values,  he  must 
then  teach  his  salesman,  buyer,  bookkeeper  and  others  who  are  con- 
cerned with  prices  and  after  they  have  acquired  this  new  sense  of  price 
values,  the  grocer  must  deal  with  his  customers.  Some  of  these  cus- 
tomers are  not  very  intelligent  while  some  are  stupid — so  stupid  that  they 
are  unable  to  understand  why  butter  at  $1.10  per  kilogram  is  a  better 
purchase  than  the  same  butter  at  50  cents  per  pound.  Other  customers, 
again,  are  indifferent  and  can  see  no  reason  for  all  this  pother  for  no  par- 
ticular purpose,  while  still  others  are  hostile  and  object  to  recasting  all 
their  ideas  of  values  not  only  for  groceries,  but  for  everything  they  buy. 

Some  of  these  hostile  customers  tell  the  grocer  that  when  he  names 
prices  in  these  strange  units,  they  cannot  tell  whether  he  offers  them  a 
bargain  or  a  swindle,  and  they  tell  him  very  plainly  that  unless  he  can 
offer  them  goods  in  terms  that  they  understand  they  will  go  to  other 
grocers  who  will. 

Were  we  to  compare  the  task  of  the  scientist  with  that  of  the  manu- 
facturer, we  would  find  an  even  greater  difference  than  that  between 
the  scientist  and  the  grocer,  but  this  illustration  seems  sufficient  to  show 
that  the  scientist  has  no  right  to  speak  for  the  corner  grocer. 


UN.VERS.TY  OF  CAL.FORNIA 

°*PARTIWENT  or  C.V.L  ENGINEERINC 

BERKELEY.  CAL.FORM,* 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE  METRIC  EQUIVALENT  SCHEME 

The  opposition  to  the  metric  system  has  at  least  accomplished  one 
object.  The  metric  party  have  come  to  realize  that  the  task  of  changing 
the  set  of  sizes  now  in  use  from  those  shown  on  English  to  those  shown  on 
metric  scales,  tape  lines,  etc.,  cannot  be  ignored,  and  they  now  propose 
that  we  do  not  change  them  but  continue  to  use  existing  sizes  and  measure 
them  in  metric  units.  This  idea,  while  not  new,  has  been  put  forward 
with  increasing  frequency  of  late,  and  it  has  now  become  the  official  plan 
of  the  metric  party. 

In  a  newspaper  interview,  the  Secretary  of  the  American  Metric 
Association  said:  "Just  as  our  Government  experts  have  pointed  out, 
whatever  is  manufactured  must  be  exactly  the  same  size  or  weight  as 
before.  It  is  merely  a  matter  of  a  new  term  of  expression. "  In  order  to 
show  the  absurdity  of  this  plan,  it  is  only  necessary  to  try  it.  • 

EXAMPLES    FROM    REAL    ESTATE 

New  York  and  many  other  cities  are  laid  out  in  building  lots  measuring 
25  X  100  feet  of  which  mere  inspection  shows  the  area  to  be  2500  square 
feet.  Using  the  "new  term  of  expression, "  that  is  metric  units,  for  these 
dimensions,  we  have  for  a  city  building  lot : 

Front  width. . , 7.62002  meters 

Depth 30.48006  meters 

Area 232 . 25        square  meters 

Does  the  reader  consider  the  metric  equivalents  improvements  on  the 
English  figures  or  does  he  think  that  the  former  will  ever  be  adopted, 
except  under  compulsion,  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  city  real  estate?. 

For  about  a  century  the  public  lands  of  the  United  States  have  been 
laid  out  in  townships  of  6  miles  square  or  36  square  miles  area.  Each 
township  is  divided  into  36  sections  of  1  mile  square  and  1  square 
mile,  or  640  acres  area,  and  each  section  into  quarter  sections  of  }/± 
mile  square  and  160  acres  area.  One  and  a  quarter  billion  acres  have 
been  thus  surveyed,  the  quarter  section  forming  the  familiar  homestead 
area.  Again  using  the  "new  term  of  expression"  for  these  quantities  we 
have  the  following  comparisons: 

110 


THE  METRIC  EQUIVALENT  SCHEME  111 


English  figures 

Metric  figures 

Si 
Township  6  n 

de                   Area 

ii.             36  sq.  mi. 

"'         I  640  acres 
mi.         160  acres 

Side 

Area 

j 

|   9.6561  km. 

. 

c.  o993  km. 
0.4023km. 

93.24sq.  km. 
f      2.  58999  sq.  km. 
\258.99985hectares 
64.  74996  hectares 

Section         .        ..In 

Quarter  section  ....     Y± 

THE   "NEW  TERM  OF  EXPRESSION"  APPLIED  TO  WESTERN  FARM  LANDS 

When  confronted  with  these  absurd  figures  the  metric  party  immedi- 
ately hedge  by  explaining  that  they  will  endure  only  through  the  tran- 
sition period  and  disappear  when  the  metric  system  is  finally  adopted, 
but  how  the  close  of  the  transition  period  is  to  change  the  size  of 
city  building  lots  or  of  the  townships,  sections  and  quarter  sections  of  the 
Great  West  they  do  not  explain.  These  sizes  must  be  changed  or  these 
expressions  will  endure  for  all  time. 

Again  does  the  reader  regard  the  metric  figures  an  improvement  and 
does  he  think  they  will  be  used  in  buying  and  selling  western  farms? 

The  above  are  the  simplest  possible  illustrations  but  they  show  what 
always  happens  when  standards  that  have  been  developed  in  units  of  one 
system  are  measured  in  those  of  another.  The  change  always  results  in 
figures  which  are  worse  than  those  with  which  we  started,  impossible 
to  memorize  and  meaningless  to  those  who  attempt  to  use  them. 

EXAMPLES    FROM   THE    MACHINE    SHOP1 

Next,  let  us  apply  the  "new  term  of  expression"  to  screw  threads. 
It  should  here  be  noted  that,  the  inch  being  larger  than  most  pitches, 
we  commonly  express  pitches  as  so  many  threads  per  inch,  whereas,  the 
millimeter  being  smaller  than  most  pitches,  metric  pitches  (in 
the  few  cases  in  which  they  are  used)  are  expressed  by  giving  the  num- 
ber of  millimeters  between  threads.  This  transposition  to  conform  to 
usage  has  been  made  in  the  accompanying  table. 

Suppose  we  are  to  cut  a  screw  of  ten  threads  per  inch,  the  lead  screw 
of  the  lathe  having  four  threads  per  inch.  We  see  at  once  that  the  ratio 

of  the  change  gears  is  v-or  2}^  to  1.     Using  the  "  new  term  of  expression," 

6  35 

the  figures  become  K~FT  an(^  ^he  ra^i°;  which  is  obvious  at  a  glance  with 


the  English  system,  requires  calculation  to  find  with  the  metric  system. 
Worse  yet,  whatever  thread  we  want,  the  index  plate  of  the  lathe  will 
give,  without  calculation,  the  required  gears  for  the  English  pitch,  while 
no  lathe  in  the  world  has  an  index  plate  reading  for  the  "new  term  of 
1  See  also  "thejiew  term  of  expression"  as  applied  to  standard  shafting,  page  180. 


112 


THE  METRIC  FALLACY 


expression,"  gears  for  all  of  which  must  be  calculated.     This  is  one  way 
in  which  the  metric  system  brings  about  "economy  of  time  in  calculations. " 


English  dimensions 


Metric  equivalents 


Diameter,  in. 

Pitch,  threads  per  inch 

Diameter,  mm. 

Pitch,  mm. 

M 

20 

6.35 

1.27 

H 

16 

9.53 

1.59 

H 

13 

12.7 

1.96 

H 

11 

15.88 

2.31 

.-  -   % 

10 

19.05 

2.54 

Vs 

9 

22.23 

2.82 

1 

8 

25.4 

3.17 

IK 

7 

31.75 

3.63 

IX 

6 

38.1 

4.23 

m 

5 

44.45 

5.08 

2 

V>i 

50.8 

5.64 

THE  "  NEW  TERM  OF  EXPRESSION"  APPLIED  TO  SCREW  THREADS 

Next,  let  us  apply  the  "new  term  of  expression"  to  gear  cutting. 
Here  we  have  a  similar  difference  of  practice,  which  is  mentioned  not  to 
discuss,  but  to  point  it  out.  In  the  English  system,  the  diametral  pitch 
is  the  number  of  teeth  divided  by  the  pitch  diameter,  while  in  the  metric 
system,  the  module  is  the  diameter  divided  by  the  number  of  teeth. 
Making  this  transposition  as  before,  the  "new  term  of  expression" 
for  a  few  diametral  pitches  is  given  in  the  accompanying  table. 


English 
diametral  pitch 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 
10 
11 
12 


Metric 
equivalent  module 

6.350 
5.080 
4.233 
3.628 
3.175 
2.822 
2.540 
2.309 
2.117 


THE  "NEW  TERM  OF  EXPRESSION"  'APPLIED  TO  GEAR  TEETH 

In  place  of  the  simplest  possible  series  of  integral  numbers,  we  have  a 
set  of  decimals  which  no  one  can  remember,  and  three  decimal  places  are 
necessary  if  the  results  are  to  be  sufficiently  accurate.  Considering  cal- 
culations again,  with  the  English  system,  the  number  of  teeth  is  found 
by  multiplying  the  pitch  by  the  diameter,  while  with  the  metric  system, 
the  number  of  teeth  is  found  by  dividing  the  diameter  by  the  module, 
both  fractional  in  all  cases,  Taking  identical  examples,  we  have 


THE  METRIC  EQUIVALENT  SCHEME  113 

English  System  Metric  System 

165.1  mm.  dia. 
8  pitch  X  6H  m.  dia.  =  52  teeth  3  175  moduT    = 

To  appreciate  the  point,  the  reader  should  make  the  actual  division 
with  pencil  and  paper.  With  both  procedures,  the  result  is  identically 
the  same  gear  and  again  we  see  how  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  will 
lead  to  " economy  of  time  in  calculations." 

The  reader  should  here  remember  that  the  above  are  simple  illustra- 
tions of  the  officially  adopted  plan  of  the  metric  party  and,  moreover,  of  a 
plan  which  has  the  endorsement  of  the  BUreau  of  Standards. 

If  the  metric  system  is  adopted  one  of  two  things  must  be  done — 
such  figures  as  these  must  be  used  or  existing  standardized  .sizes  must  be 
abandoned  and  the  metric  sizes  be  substituted. 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burlingame  has  supplied  (Machinery,  July,  1916)  the 
example  of  the  "new  term  of  expression"  as  applied  to  mechanical  draw- 
ings shown  in  the  accompanying  engraving  which  illustrates  a  standard 
milling  machine  spindle  with  the  dimensions  in  English  figures  and  also 
in  their  metric  equivalents.  In  Mr.  Burlingame's  words: 

"As  now  made  and  shown  at  A,  there  are,  besides  numerous,  dimensions,  at  least 
nine  standards  involved.  There  is  a  No.  11  taper  shank  which  is  %  inch  taper  per 
foot,  \y±  inch  diameter  at  the  small  end,  fitting  in  the  milling  machine  spindle.  This 
has  a  collar  with  a  flattened  section  fitting  in  a  1^-inch  slot  in  the  spindle.  The 
arbor  itself  is  of  standard  1  inch  diameter.  It  has  a  sleeve  running  in  an  outer 
bearing  2Ke  inches  in  diameter.  The  nut  on  the  end  of  the  arbor  is  tapped  1  inch 
in  diameter,  ten  threads  to  the  inch  to  fit  the  arbor,  and  is  flattened  to  Ij^e  incn 
to  fit  a  standard  wrench.  There  is  a  standard  keyway  in  the  arbor,  and  standard 
cutters  with  standard  keyways  fit  upon  this  arbor,  the  illustration  showing  a  6-pitch 
gear-cutter,  which,  in  itself,  is  part  of  a  system  of  gearing  based  upon  the  inch. 
The  thread  on  the  end  of  the  spindle  is  4  inches  diameter,  three  threads  per  inch, 
and  receives  standard  tools,  such  as  inserted-tooth  cutters.  A  cap-nut  also  fitting 
on  this  thread  is  used  to  hold  the  arbor  in  place.  All  these  standards  are  important, 
and  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  they  be  maintained,  in  order  to  secure  inter- 
changeability. 

"The  metric  advocates  tell  us  how  easy  it  would  be,  if  we  do  not  desire  to 
change  these  standards,  to  simply  express  them  in  metric  terms,  and  to  work  to 
these  metric  equivalents  instead  of  to  our  present  sizes.  At  B  are  shown  what 
kind  of  figures  our  American  workmen  would  be  expected  to  work,  to  in  order  to 
comply  with  this  condition.  A  glance  at  these  figures  will  indicate  how  objection- 
able this  would  be.  It  is,  however,  the  best  attempt,  after  several  trials,  to  do  this 
'easy'  job,  which  is  for  the  purpose  of  making  our  work  simple  and  saving  time!" 

THE  METRIC  PARTY  HEDGE 

When  confronted  with  these  absurd  figures  the  metric  party  again 
hedge  and  assure  us  that  they  will  endure  only  through  the  transition 
period  and  disappear  when  the  metric  system  is  finally  adopted.  They 
thus  confess  their  ultimate  plan  to  be  to  make  changes  which  at  first 


114  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

they  disclaim,  the  disclaimer  being  nothing  but  a  subterfuge  to  induce  the 
public  to.  embark  on  this  program.  Under  pretense  of  not  making 
changes  their  real  plan  is  merely  to  postpone  them  and  meanwhile, 
through  false  pretenses,  obtain  the  passage  of  a  law  which  will  make  them 
necessary. 

THE    CASE    OF   THE    DRAFTSMAN 

Let  us  consider  one  more  application  of  the  plan.  When  reduced 
to  practice  it  involves  that  draftsmen  and  mechanics  will  be  required  to 
use  a  set  of  sizes  that  are  not  given  by  the  lines  on  the  scales  (that  is,  the 
metric  scales)  from  which  they  are  taken.  That  is  to  say,  instead  of  tak- 
ing from  -the  scales  the  sizes  shown  by  their  lines,  intermediate  sizes  are 
to  be  taken  by  estimation. 


Metric  scale  for  laying  off  English  dimensions. 

Will  the  reader  please  imagine  himself  a  draftsman  at  work  in  an  office 
where  drawings  are  being  made  for  products  "exactly  the  same  size  as 
before"  but  using  the  "new  term  of  expression."  He  has  before  him 
a  draftsman's  metric  rule  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration 
and  let  him  attempt  with  it  to  lay  down  a  few  such  dimensions  as  %, 
1J4  and  2J£  inches.  The  attempt,  without  explanation,  will  be  suf- 
ficient to  show  both  the  hopelessness  of  the  plan  and  the  ignorance  of  those 
who  propose  it. 

CLAIMING   BOTH   ENDS    OF   THE   ARGUMENT 

Offering  the  "new  term  of  expression"  in  one  breath  and  withdrawing 
it  in  the  next  when  the  results  of  its  application  are  shown  is  an 
attempt  to  claim  both  ends  of  the  argument.  When  we  show  them  that 
the  change  of  sizes  is  impossible,  they  tell  us  we  will  not  change  them  but 
use  millimeter  equivalents.  When  we  show  them  that  millimeter  equiva- 
lents are  hopeless,  they  tell  us  we  will  not  use  them  but  change  the  sizes. 
The  attempt  to  reason  with  such  people  is  hopeless. 

Were  this  plan  feasible  other  countries  would  long  since  have  adopted 
it  and  their  old  units  would  have  disappeared  just  as  ours  are  expected  to 
disappear.  No  such  practice  can  be  found  anywhere  and  for  examples 
we  cite  all  Latin  American  countries  of  which  the  practice  is  given  in 
Chapter  II. 

The  reader  will  not  fail  to  contrast  this  soothing  syrup  claim  that  we 
are  to  continue  to  make  things  just  as  we  do  now  with  the  other  claim 
that  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  is  to  bring  about  international 


THE  METRIC  EQUIVALENT  SCHEME 


114a 


'H  "I  -  HDNI  d3d  SOi 


•H'T'S'STI 
HONIHBd 


1146  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

uniformity  and  interchangeability  and  he  will  ask :  What  kind  of  mind  is 
it  that  can  thus  put  forth  two  claims  which  mutually  destroy  one  another? 

Mr.  Justin  W.  McEachren,  editor  of  the  Valve  World,  read  a  paper 
before  the  1917  Pittsburgh  meeting  of  the  American  Metric  Association 
in  which  he  said: 

"A  typical  transaction  illustrating  the  practical  ideal  of  this  Association  might 
be  this:  1  buy  a  25  mm.  bolt  in  Rio  Janeiro;  find  a  25  mm.  nut  to  fit  it  in  Tokio; 
bore  a  25  mm.  hole  for  it  in  Cape  Town  with  a  25  mm.  twist  drill,  turned  in 
Brussels,  on  a  machine  manufactured  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  U.  S.  A." 

Further  along  in  the  same  paper  he  said : 

"The  Valve  World  never  has  advocated  changing  American  standards  of  size, 
and  I  know  of  no  organized  suggestion  along  that  line." 

Can  absurdity  go  further? 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  AND  THE  SAVING  OF  TIME  IN 
CALCULATIONS 

Of  all  the  myths  associated  with  the  metric  argument,  none  is  more 
insistently  set  forth  than  that  its  adoption  will  lead  to  an  important 
saving  of  time  in  calculations. 

Like  all  metric  claims  this  one  is  based  on  the  tacit  assumption  that 
old  units  are  to  disappear.  This  being  opposite  to  the  experience  of  all 
nations  that  have  endeavored  to  adopt  the  system,  it' is  clear  that  we 
must  consider  the  conditions  that  will  prevail  with  a  mixture  of  systems. 
This  has  been  gone  into  in  some  detail  in  Chapter  XIII- — The  Metric 
System  in  Engineering. 

A    FEW    SIMPLE    EXAMPLES 

Reference  to  the  summaries  of  information  from  Latin  America, 
Chapter  II,  will  show  that  the  metric  system  has  made  much  greater 
progress  there  in  retail  than  in  wholesale  trade.  The  result  is  that 
merchants  buy  their  goods  at  wholesale  by  one  system  of  units  and  sell 
them  at  retail  by  another  andwesee  at  once  how  "  simple  "  the  merchants' 
calculations  are. 

Further  reference  to  those  pages  will  show  that  when  one  erects  a  build- 
ing, his  building  lot  is  measured  by  thevara  while  his  mason  work  is  done 
by  the  meter,  his  carpenter  work  by  the  pulgada,  his  painting  by  the 
square  meter  and  his  glazing  by  the  inch,  while  his  piping  is  measured  in 
length  by  the  meter  and  in  diameter  by  the  inch  and,  when  he  goes  to 
the  lumber  yard  for  his  lumber,  he  will  buy  so  many  cubic  meters  of  one 
inch  boards. 

The  reader  will  see  at  once  how  " simple"  the  builders'  calculations 
are — how  simple  when  he  calculates  the  cubic  meters  of  one  inch  boards 
required  to  lay  the  floor,  how  simple  when  he  calculates  the  cubic  meters 
of  10  by  12  inch  timbers  required  for  the  frame  and,  when  he  determines 
the  velocity  of  water  in  meters  per  second  and  the  discharge  in  liters 
through  a  two-inch  pipe,  the  calculations  will  be  so  simple  that  he  will 
make  them  with  his  eyes  shut. 

A   MORE   UNUSUAL   EXAMPLE 

These  are  the  results  on  simplicity  of  calculations  due  to  a  mixture  of 
systems  in  a  few  simple  cases.  The  following  example  shows  the  results 

115 


116  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

in  assay  calculations  in  a  Mexican  smelter.  It  is  supplied  by  Mr.  J. 
Parke  Channing,  Past  President  of  the  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Society 
of  America  and  a  mining  engineer  of  much  experience  in  Mexico. 

"When  the  ore  contains  5  per  cent,  or  more  of  lead,  it  is  paid  for  at  1  cent  U.  S. 
currency  per  pound  when  soft  Spanish  lead  is  quoted  in  London  at  13  pounds  sterling 
per  ton  at  2240  pounds.  For  each  advance  or  decline  of  1  shilling,  3  pence  in  the 
London  quotation,  1  cent  U.  S.  currency  per  100  pounds  for  lead  contents  will  be 
added  or  deducted.  The  ore,  however,  is  weighed  and  deliveries  are  made  in  kilos 
and  assays  are  reported  per  metric  ton  of  1000  kilos.  The  silver  is  paid  for  at  90^ 
per  cent,  of  the  New  York  quotation,  which  is  in  U.  S.  currency  per  Troy  ounce.  The 
gold,  however,  is  paid  for  at  $0.6269  U.  S.  currency  per  gram.  Freight  and  treatment 
charges  are  $24.50  Mexican  currency  per  ton  of  2000  pounds  avoirdupois." 

THE    CLAIM   INVERTED 

The  moment  we  realize  that  the  so-called  adoption  of  the  system 
means,  in  reality,  nothing  more  than  its  introduction,  with  the  continued 
use  of  the  old  system,  we  recognize  that  the  claim  for  the  saving  of  time 
in  calculations  is  not  only  nullified  but  inverted  and  becomes  an  argument 
against  the  system. 

THE   METRIC    SYSTEM   CONSIDERED    ALONE 

It  is,  however,  not  true  that  even  in  the  absence  of  old  units  the  claim 
has  any  foundation.  The  claim  is  based  on  the  "  interrelation  and  corre- 
lation of  the  units,"  of  which  so  much  is  made  and  which,  while  very 
pretty  theoretically,  have  no  application  to  the  commercial  and  industrial 
uses  of  weight  and  measure.  To  illustrate  the  supposed  superior  sim- 
plicity in  the  calculations  of  everyday  life,  the  metric  party  give  hypothet- 
ical problems  to  solve.  They  assume,  for  example,  a  distance  of  so 
many  miles,  furlongs,  rods,  yards,  feet  and  inches,  show  the  number  of 
figures  required  to  reduce  this  expression  to  inches  and  then  give  corre- 
sponding problems  in  which  distances  are  expressed  in  kilometers,  hekto- 
meters,  dekameters,  meters,  decimeters,  centimeters  and  millimeters  and 
show  that  the  expression  can  be  reduced  to  millimeters  by  the  simple 
process  of  properly  locating  the  decimal  point.  Similarly,  they  show  the 
amount  of  work  involved  in  reducing  an  immense  number  of  inches  to 
miles,  furlongs,  rods,  etc.;  and  alongside  they  place  an  exhibit  showing 
that  millimeters  may  be  reduced  to  kilometers,  hektometers,  etc.,  by 
merely  changing  the  decimal  point. 

THE  CASES  OFFERED  ARE  HYPOTHETICAL 

The  trouble  with  these  problems  is  that  they  are  purely  hypothetical. 
No  one  has  them  to  do — no  reader  of  these  pages  has  occasion  to  solve 
such  problems  outside  of  the  schoolroom  or  laboratory.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  feet  and  inches,  which  are  used  in  combination,  although  the 


METRIC  SYSTEM  AND  THE  SAVING  OF  TIME  IN  CALCULATIONS      117 

tendency  is  against  the  practice,1  quantities  are  commonly  expressed  in 
a  single  unit.  Thus  the  flow  of  aqueducts  and  the  capacity  of  pumping 
engines  and  of  city  reservoirs  are  given  in  gallons  and  the  strength  of 
materials  in  pounds  per  square  inch.  Similarly,  when  we  buy  small 
quantities  of  things  at  the  drug  store,  we  do  it  by  the  ounce  and  its  frac- 
tions, while  if  we  buy  larger  quantities  at  the  grocery,  we  do  it  by  the 
pound  and  its  fractions — pounds  and  ounces  being,  practically,  never 
mixed.  Again,  we  buy  milk  by  the  quart,  gasoline  by  the  gallon,  grain 
by  the  bushel  and  cement  by  the  barrel,  but  no  reader  of  these  pages  ever 
sees  the  units  used  conjointly.  The  civil  engineer  uses  the  mile  as  his 
long,  and  the  foot  as  his  short,  unit  of  length — these  units  being  divided 
decimally  for  the  purposes  of  measurement  and  calculation — but  he  seldom 
or  never  uses  the  two  in  combination.  His  unit  of  excavation  is  the 
cubic  yard,  but  like  the  others  it  stands  alone.  Reduction,  ascending 
and  descending,  among  these  units  is  among  the  rarest  of  problems,  and 
the  ratios  between  them  are  about  the  least  important  things  that  ever 
provoked  a  heated  discussion. 

Not  only  is  this  the  method  by  which  these  units  are  used,  but  it  is 
the  manner  in  which  they  were  intended  to  be  used.  Units  of  different 
sizes — English  and  metric  alike — are  provided  in  order  that  those  suitable 
for  various  purposes  may  be  available.  The  quart  being  suitable  for  the 
amount  of  milk  commonly  purchased,  the  quart  is  used  for  that  purpose, 
while  the  gallon  being  suitable  for  the  amount  of  gasoline  commonly 
purchased,  the  gallon  is  used  for  that  purpose.  For  the  same  reason  the 
ounce  is  used  for  the  purchase  of  drugs,  the  pound  for  groceries  and  the 
ton  for  coal.  The  use  of  a  mixture  of  units  for  the  same  purpose  is  un- 
called for  and  unnatural,  and  its  appearance  in  the  problems  referred  to 
is  simply  a  case  of  manufacturing  evidence  to  suit  the  case  that  it  is 
desired  to  prove. 

This  use  of  units  nullifies  the  argument  for  simplicity  of  calculations, 
and  it  reduces  to  insignificance  the  importance  of  the  ratios  between 
units.  For  purposes  of  calculation  our  units  may  be  divided  decimally,2 
as  they  usually  are,  when  they  fall  into  perfect  harmony  with  decimal 
arithmetic.  When  units  are  used  in  this  way,  no  discoverable  difference 
in  the  time  required  for  calculations  in  the  English  and  metric  systems  has 

1  Examples  of  the  gradual  disappearance  of  the  foot  as  a  unit  for  the  dimensions 
of  machines,  are  found  in  the  figures  for  the  wheel-base  length  of  automobiles  and  of 
locomotive  driving  wheel  tires  both  of  which  are  always  given  in  inches  only.     Some 
of  our  foremost  machine  shops  have  discarded  the  foot,  inches  only  being  used. 

2  The  metric  party  labor  under  a  strange  hallucination  that  they  possess  a  mo- 
nopoly of  decimal  arithmetic,  and  they  hail  every  use  of  decimals  as  a  concession  to 
their  claims.     Decimal  fractions  are  of  course  centuries  older  than  the  metric  system. 
So  far  from  inventing  decimals,  the  fathers  of  the  metric  system  merely  attempted 
to  discard  other  fractions.     Metric  partisans  might  as  reasonably  claim  exclusive  use 
of  the  Arabic  notation  or  of  the  Roman  alphabet. 


118  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

ever  been  shown,  because  none  exists.  The  engineer  calculates  stresses 
or  pressures  in  pounds  per  square  inch  with  absolutely  the  same  sim- 
plicity of  calculation  that  he  does  in  kilograms  per  square  centimeter. 
So,  also,  the  dimensions  of  structural  members  are  calculated  in  inches  with 
the  same  degree  of  simplicity  as  in  millimeters,  and  hydraulic  calculations 
in  gallons  are  as  simple  as  in  liters. 

Regardless  of  endless  iteration  and  reiteration  to  the  contrary,  these 
statements  are  facts.  The  claimed  simplicity  of  calculations  is  the  out- 
growth of  the  "interrelation  and  correlation  of  the  units."  When  we 
confine  ourselves  to  a  single  unit,  there  is  neither  interrelation  nor  cor- 
relation, and  the  supposed  advantage  vanishes. 

When  calculating  weights,  we  multiply  the  volume  by  the  specific 
gravity  in  the  metric  system  and  by  the  weight  per  unit  of  volume  in 
the  English  system,  consulting  a  table  for  the  required  constant  in  either 
case.  There  is  not  a  shadow  of  advantage  in  either  procedure,  except 
when  calculating  the  weight  of  a  tank  of  water;  and  in  the  one  field  of 
human  endeavor  in  which  this  might  be  of  appreciable  value  (naval 
architecture)  it  vanishes  in  the  increased  gravity  of  sea  water.1 

As  Mr.  A.  M.  Mattice  put  it: 

"In  the  drafting  room  of  a  manufactory  the  draftsmen  are  always  computing 
weights  for  balances,  strengths,  and  costs.  They  may  use  one  material  instead  of 
another  on  account  of  weights.  Suppose  I  have  a  rail  or  rod  of  iron,  and  its  area  is 
8  square  inches.  What  is  its  weight  per  yard?  An  inexperienced  man  would  multi- 
ply by  the  weight  per  cubic  inch,  and  finally  get  it.  But  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  bring 
your  decimal  point  one  place  to  the  right  and  you  have  it.  Ten  times  the  area  of 
cross  section  of  wrought  iron  is  the  weight  per  yard  in  pounds  exactly.  It  is  not  an 
approximation,  but  exact.  That  one  little  fact  is  of  more  importance  to  the  metal 
manufacturers  of  this  country  than  the  relation  between  the  meter  and  the  volume 
of  fresh  water,  because  it  is  being  used  by  hundreds  where  the  other  is  being  used  by 
one  person." 

In  commercial  transactions  no  one  has  shown  and  no  one  can  show  the 
slightest  advantage  in  the  purchase  of  dry  goods  by  the  meter  as  against 

1  While  there  is  no  advantage  in  either  procedure,  nevertheless  of  the  units  most 
used  for  the  purpose  (the  inch  and  the  millimeter)  the  English  unit  is  the  larger  and 
expresses  the  same  dimensions  in  fewer  figures.  Above  about  4  inches  the  millimeter 
always  requires  at  least  three  figures;  and  above  about  40  inches  at  least  four.  This 
results,  in  the  average  case  of  calculation,  in  fewer  figures  with  the  English  system. 
While  this  is  a  fact,  it  is  too  trifling  a  matter  to  deserve  mention  here  except  to  counter 
the  grandiose  and  ridiculous  metric  claims.  The  subject  is,  moreover,  of  little  more 
than  academic  interest,  as  the  procedure  described  is,  in  practice,  used  relatively  but 
little.  The  leading  calculators  of  weights  are  engineers,  architects  and  shipbuilders. 
In  the  case  of  castings  the  procedure  described  is  followed,  with  such  balance  of  ad- 
vantage as  there  is  on  the  English  side.  The  weights  of  the  other  materials  used  are 
tabulated  with  great  completeness  in  pounds  per  hundred  and  per  foot  of  length  or 
area.  Actual  calculations  of  the  weights  of  structures  are  made  by  the  use  of  these 
tables,  and  the  labor  involved  is  determined  not  by  the  system  of  measurements  used, 
but  by  the  completeness  of  the  tables  available. 


METRIC  SYSTEM  AND  THE  SAVING  OF  TIME  IN  CALCULATIONS      119 

the  yard,  groceries  by  the  kilogram  as  against  the  pound,  or  milk  by  the 
liter  as  against  the  quart.  The  claim  which  one  often  sees  that  the 
metric  system  would  be  a  protection  against  short  weight  is  of  course 
absurd.  There  is  nothing  to  prevent  the  making  and  using  of  short 
metric  with  the  same  facility  as  short  English  measures. 

Equally  absurd  are  the  claims  that  "  calculations  in  the  metric  system 
are  two  or  three  times  as  accurate  as'  in  the  English  system"  and  that 
"  calculations  always  come  out  in  even  figures  in  the  metric  system."1 
After  completing  his  calculations  the  English  designer  adjusts  his  results 
to  the  nearest  eighth  or  sixteenth  and  the  metric  designer  to  the  nearest 
tenth,  and  between  these  procedures  there  is  not  the  suspicion  of  a  choice. 

1  The  quotations  are  from  an  article  by  Dr.  Jos.  V.  Collins  published  in  the  Scien- 
tific Monthly. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  AND  THE  ENGLISH  LANGUAGE 

The  ridicule  which  is  heaped  upon  the  English  system  of  weights  and 
measures  can  be  exactly  paralleled  by  similar  ridicule  of  the  English 
language. 

Consider  its  atrocious  spelling  and  pronunciation,  its  words  which 
are  spelled  alike  and  pronounced  differently,  others  which  are  pronounced 
alike  and  spelled  differently,  and  still  others  which  are  spelled  and  pro- 
nounced alike  but  have  different  meanings.  Consider  its  irregular  verbs; 
its  complex  rules  of  syntax,  its  excessively  idiomatic  construction,  and, 
especially,  its  enormously  redundant  vocabulary,  which  last  is  exactly 
comparable  with  the  redundant  units  of  the  English  system  of  weights 
and  measures.  Consider  the  enormous  burden  which  these  matters  lay 
upon  school  children  and  upon  foreigners  who  have  to  learn  our  language. 
No  one  can  learn  this  enormous  vocabulary  as  we  are  told  that  no  one 
can  learn  all  of  the  units  of  the  English  system.  In  neither  case  are  we 
embarrassed  because  in  both  we  learn  what  we  need  and  ignore  the  rest, 
but  the  parallel  holds. 

Let  us  away  with  such  a  "  clumsy  and  cumbersome"  method  of  speech, 
and  adopt  the  " simple,  scientific  and  logical"  Esperanto. 

The  parallel  is  exact,  except  that  Esperanto  has  not  made  as  much 
progress  as  the  metric  system,  but  someone  must  be  a  pioneer  in  such  a 
movement,  and  if  the  French  people  deserve  so  much  credit  for  inaugurat- 
ing the  metric  system,  let  us  acquire  similar  credit  for  inaugurating  a  new 
and  universal  language. 

All  recognize  that  to  change  the  language  of  a  country  is  impossible, 
while  some  believe  that  a  change  in  weights  and  measures  is  easy. 
The  main  purpose  of  this  volume  is  to  show,  by  the  experience  of  nation 
after  nation,  that  here  also  the  parallel  holds. 


120 


CHAPTER  XVII 1 
OUR  ENGLISH  WEIGHTS   AND   MEASURES1 

It  has  been  proved  that  established  weights  and  measures  cannot  be 
arbitrarily  abolished,  and  that,  so  far  as  the  United  States  is  concerned, 
the  choice  is  not  between  the  English  system  and  the  metric,  but  it  is 
between  the  English  system  and  the  confusion  of  two  systems.  In  addi- 
tion to  that  fact  it  has  been  demonstrated  that,  while  neither  of  the  tw^o 
systems  is  perfect,  the  English  is  better  adapted  to  the  work  of  the  world 
than  is  the  metric.  And  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter  is  that  we 
cannot  change  our  English  weights  and  measures  if  we  would  and  we 
should  not  if  we  could. 

THE    ONLY   FEASIBLE   BASIS 

Instead  of  discussing  these  proved  conclusions  now,  let  us  consider  the 
most  significant  feature  of  the  weights  and  measures  situation,  the  fact 
that  our  English  system  has  reached  such  a  commanding  position  through- 
out the  world,  and  its  identity  with  other  natural  systems  of  weights  and 
measures  is  so  great  as  to  make  it  the  only  feasible  basis  for  the  unifica- 
tion of  the  world's  weights  and  measures. 

THE   WESTERN    HEMISPHERE 

Let  us  take  a  look  at  the  situation,  beginning  with  the  Western  Hemi- 
sphere. Spanish  and  English  systems  predominate  in  Latin  America 
and,  to  a  remarkable  extent  they  are  identical.  Look  at  the  Spanish 
tables  as  taught  in  the  schools  of  Latin  America  today : 

12  inches,  1  foot;  3  feet,  1  yard;  144  square  inches,  1  square  foot;  9 
square  feet,  1  square  yard;  1728  cubic  inches,  1  cubic  foot;  27  cubic  feet, 
1  cubic  yard;  16  ounces,  1  pound;  100  pounds,  1  quintal:  2000  pounds, 
1  ton. 

These  multiples  are  practically  the  same  as  the  English.  As  for  the 
size  of  the  units,  the  Spanish  vara,  or  yard,  is  an  approximation  of  the 
English  yard,  while  the  Spanish  weights,  ton,  quintal,  pound,  and  ounce, 
vary  only  one-half  of  one  per  cent,  from  the  corresponding  English 
weights. 

So  much  for  Latin  America.  As  for  the  remaining  portion  of  the 
Western  Hemisphere,  it  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  on  the  impressive  fact 
that  the  English  system  is  the  established  and  fundamental  standard  of 
the  United  States  and  Canada." 

1  By  Mr.  Samuel  S.  Dale. 

121 


122  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

THE    EASTERN   HEMISPHERE 

Turning  now  to  the  Eastern  Hemisphere  we  find  English  weights  and 
measure  to  be  the  established  system  in  that  vast  area  comprising  the 
British  Empire,  while  in  China,  English  weights  and  measures  are 
the  recognized  standards  at  the  treaty  ports.  Throughout  that  other 
vast  area  known  as  Russia  the  linear  measures  are  based  on  the  English 
inch.  The  Russian  duim  is  the  English  inch;  the  Russian  foot  is  the 
English  foot;  the  Russian  archine  is  28  English  inches;  the  Russian  sagene, 
7  English  feet;  the  Russian  verst,  3500  English  feet.  The  Chinese  sys- 
tem in  use  throughout  the  country  is  not  well  standardized,  but  the  stand- 
ards of  weight  in  most  extensive  use  are  based  on  the  ounce  (liang  or 
tael),  equal  to  1J^  avoirdupois  ounces:  16  Chinese  ounces  make  1  pound 
(catty);  100  Chinese  pounds1,  1  ;picul.  Thus  the  Chinese  and  English 
weights  are  easily  commensurable  and  divided  as  in  the  English  system. 
Chinese  linear  measurements  are  based  on  a  unit  (ch'ih)  approximating 
the  English  foot,  the  leading  standard  being  equal  to  12.5  English  inches. 

In  Japan  the  established  system  of  linear  measures  is  based  on  a 
foot  (shaku),  of  11.93  English  inches  used  by  artisans,  and  on  a  foot  of 
14.9  inches  used  for  dry  goods. 

Furthermore,  in  addition  to  being  established  and  fundamental  or 
closely  identical  with  the  established  weights  and  measures  in  so  large  a 
part  of  the  earth's  surface,  the  use  of  the  English  system  has  been  ex- 
tended to  all  countries  by  trade  and  industry,  one  of  the  causes  of  bitter 
complaint  in  Germany  during  the  Great  War  having  been  the  extensive 
use  of  the  hated  English  weights  and  measures. 

THE  COMMON  PROPERTY  OF  MANKIND 

This  survey  of  weights  and  measures  throughout  the  world  is  neces- 
sarily brief.  It  is  easy  to  say  "  English  weights  and  measures  are  used 
in  the  United  States/'  or  "  English  weights  and  measures  are  used  through- 
out the  British  Empire,"  but  these  few  words  state  a  condition  that  is 
decisive  as  to  the  question  we  are  discussing.  Seventy  per  cent,  of  the 
world's  industrial  energy  before  the  war  was  exerted  on  the  basis  of 
English  weights  and  measures.  As  one  thinks  of  the  world  situation, 
the  conviction  becomes  overwhelming  that  the  English  system  no  longer 
belongs  to  England  and  America,  but  that  it  is  the  common  property 
of  mankind,  and  that,  if  the  world's  weights  and  measures  are  ever  to 
reach  or  move  toward  uniformity,  it  will  have  to  be  on  the  basis  of  the 
English  system.  That  was  plain  before  the  war  ended.  The  terms  of  the 
armistice  make  it  "so  evident  it  will  glimmer  through  a  blind  man's  eye." 

HOW    ENGLAND   WOULD    SETTLE   THE   QUESTION 

This  fact  is  recognized  in  the  recent  reports  of  four  Parliamentary 
Committees  appointed  by  the  British  Government  in  1916  to  study  and 


OUR  ENGLISH  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES  123 

report  on  British  policy  after  the  war  from  which  extracts  are  given  in 
Chapter  VI. 

This  recommendation  of  the  Parliamentary  Committees  is  in  line 
with  the  fundamental  principle  of  free  government,  which  is  to  base 
legislation  on  the  best  practice  by  the  people.  Instead  of  issuing  a  com- 
pulsory edict  that  certain  changes  in  weights  and  measures  shall  be  made 
forthwith  or  that  after  a  certain  date  the  entire  English  system  shall  be 
abolished  and  another  used  exclusively,  the  British  Committees  take  cus- 
tom as  their  guide.  They  accept  the  English  system  as  a  permanent 
institution,  like  our  language  and  law,  which  it  is  permitted  to  improve, 
but  not  to  abolish,  and  then  they  refer  the  question  of  its  improvement 
to  the  people,  the  actual  users  of  weights  and  measures,  in  order  that  any 
changes  may  be  real  improvements  based  on  experience.  This  is  the 
essence  of  democracy. 

A    PLAN   AS   BROAD    AS   THE  QUESTION   ITSELF 

It  is  no  provincial  spirit  that  this  democratic  plan  is  proposed  by  the 
British  Parliamentary  Committees.  They  recognize  that  it  is  a  question 
in  which  the  people,  not  only  of  the  United  Kindgom,  but  of  all  English 
speaking  countries,  have  a  common  interest,  and  so  they  recommend 
that  it  be  settled  by  the  co-operation  of  the  users  of  weights  and  measures 
in  the  British  Empire  and  the  United  States. 

The  recommendation  of  the  British  Committees  is  nominally  ad- 
dressed to  Parliament  and  the  British  people,  but  in  a  wider  sense  it  is 
an  invitation  to  the  British  Colonies  and  Dominions  and  to  the  United 
States  to  join  in  the  improvement  and  simplification  of  English  weights 
and  measures.  The  proposal  should  meet  with  prompt  and  enthusiastic 
approval  in  this  country.  No  time  should  be  lost  in  putting  the  plan  into 
effect.  This  can  be  done  by  organizing  an  Anglo-American  Conference 
on  English  Weights  and  Measures  for  the  thorough  study  of  the  question 
in  all  of  its  bearings.  It  would  be  an  excellent  plan  for  two  leading  and 
representative  engineering  societies,  one  English  and  the  other  American, 
to  take  the  preliminary  steps  in  organizing  the  Conference,  arranging  for 
an  investigation  as  broad  as  the  question  itself,  which  would  mean  its 
extension  to  every  human  activity  and  to  every  part  of  the  English 
speaking  world.1  The  representatives  of  every  class  of  users  of  weights 
and  measures  should  be  invited  to  co-operate  in  this  work.  It  is  not 
merely  a  mechanical  engineering  question  nor  a  textile  problem.  It  re- 
lates closely,  not  only  to  engineering  and  textile  manufacturing,  but  to 
all  other  industries,  trades  and  occupations,  and  most  important  of  all, 
to  the  daily  affairs  of  all  of  the  people. 

1  Since  the  above  was  written  these  preliminary  steps  have  been  taken  as  explained 
in  Chapter  XXV. 


124  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

To  be  successful,  such  an  inquiry  must  be  kept  free  from  irrelevant 
issues  and  confined  strictly  to  the  improvement  and  simplification  of 
English  weights  and  measures,  as  recommended  by  the  British  Parliamen- 
tary Committees.  The  British  plan  is  based  on  the  rejection  of  the  metric 
system,  and  the  metric  controversy  should  be  excluded  from  the  inquiry. 

The  object  of  this  inquiry  is  to  correct  certain  defects  in  the  English 
system,  such  for  example  as  the  use  of  the  long  ton  of  2240  pounds,  defects 
that  are  but  a  mote  compared  with  fundamental  imperfections  of  the 
metric  system  we  are  asked  to  adopt.  Progressive  legislation  by  the 
American  Congress  or  the  British  Parliament  is  not  an  admission  that 
free  institutions  are  a  failure.  It  is  an  effort  to  perfect  the  use  of  those 
institutions.  Language  study  is  not  an  admission  that  the  English 
language  is  not  the  leading  language  of  the  world;  it  is  an  effort  to  improve 
the  use  of  that  tongue.  And  so  the  improvement  of  English  weights  and 
measures  as  suggested  by  the  British  Parliamentary  Committees  is  not 
an  admission  that  the  English  system  is  not  the  leading  and  the  best 
system  in  the  world;  it  is  an  effort  to  make  it  still  better  and  simpler  for 
the  benefit  of  the  unnumbered  millions  who  are  to  use  it  in  the  centuries 
to  come. 

The  suggestion  as  to  the  right  way  to  handle  this  question  comes  to 
us  from  England,  where  the  English  system  originated  and  has  been 
maintained.  It  comes  to  us  at  a  time  when  England  and  America,  united 
by  the  war,  now  brought  to  a  victorious  conclusion,  are  facing  the  prob- 
lems of  world  reconstruction.  It  is  a  plan  based  on  reason  and  common 
sense  and  now  is  the  appointed  time  to  put  it  into  effect. 


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CHAPTER  XIX 
THE  DECIMALIZATION  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES 

The  term  decimalization,  as  applied  to  weights  and  measures,  has 
two  meanings,  which  are  often,  in  fact,  usually,  confused.  The  first 
meaning  refers  to  the  ratio  between  units  and  the  second  to  the  division 
of  individual  units. 

The  advantage  claimed  for  the  decimal  ratio  between  units  is  that 
it  facilitates  transformation  among  them,  or  the  operation  of  reduction 
ascending  and  descending,  as  the  school  arithmetics  call  it.  In  the  United 
States,  an  extremely  interesting  process  of  unconscious  evolution  has 
been  going  on  for  many  years  by  which  we  have  substantially  eliminated 
the  process  of  reduction  ascending  and  descending,  and,  in  doing  so, 
we  have  eliminated  the  supposed  advantage  of  the  decimal  ratio.  This 
evolution  has  been  in  the  direction  of  the  use  of  a  single  unit  for  any  one  pur- 
pose to  the  exclusion  of  its  associates.  Thus  the  pound  has  become  the 
universal  engineering  unit,  American  engineers  seldom  using  the  ton,  as 
English  engineers  still  do.  In  the  same  way,  the  gallon  is  the  unit  for 
the  capacity  of  reservoirs  and  municipal  supply  of  water.  The  Engineers' 
surveying  tape  line  and  leveling  staff  contain  the  foot  as  the  only  unit, 
while  longer  distances  on  railroads,  for  example,  are  given  in  miles  only. 
This  process  of  evolution  is  nearly  complete,  except  in  machine  shops 
where  the  foot  and  inch  are  still  used  in  combination,  although  the 
tendency  is  against  it,  longer  and  longer  distances  being  measured  by  the 
inch  only,  some  shops  having,  in  fact,  entirely  abolished  the  foot  from 
their  working  drawings.  Examples  of  the  increased  use  of  the  inch  for 
considerable  distances  are  found  in  the  practice  with  the  diameter  of 
locomotive  driving  wheels  and  the  wheel  base  of  automobiles,  both  of 
which  are  always  given  in  inches. 

This  process  sometimes  results  in  the  use  of  units  which  are  apparently 
inappropriately  small  for  some  purposes,  although  this  objection  is  chiefly 
imaginary.  Thus,  while  the  engineer  uses  the  pound  only  for  large 
quantities,  he  thinks  in  thousands  of  pounds  which,  while  no  name  has 
been  given  to  it,  is  really  the  unit  of  thought,  and,  again,  in  the  matter 
of  reservoirs  and  water  supply  the  real  unit  of  thought  is  a  million  gallons 
although  it,  again,  has  no  specific  name.  In  any  event,  the  practice 
is  far  less  subject  to  criticism  than  the  universal  machine  shop  use  of  the 
millimeter  in  metric  countries.  This  practice  makes  calculations  as 

126 


THE  DECIMALIZATION  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES          127 

simple  as  in  the  metric  system  since  we  entirely  avoid  reduction  between 
units  and  our  calculations  are  strictly  in  accord  with  decimal  arithmetic. 
Moreover,  this  leaves  us  free  to  divide  units  as  we  wish,  and,  for  pur- 
poses of  measuring,  they  are  commonly  divided  decimally,  the  foot  of  the 
surveyor's  levelling  staff  and  tape  line  being,  for  example,  always  divided 
into  tenths,  while  fractions  of  miles  are  likewise  expressed  in  tenths. 
On  the  other  hand,  for  commercial  purposes,  binary  divisions  are  universal. 
For  example,  the  fractional  weights  of  the  grocer  and  drugg.'st  are  always 
the  half  and  quarter  pound  and  ounce,  while  the  yard,  as  used  for  the  sale 
of  dry  goods,  is  similarly  divided.  For  constructive  purposes  also  the 
binary  divisions  hold,  the  inch  in  machine  and  carpenter  shops  being 
always  thus  divided.  The  fact  is  that,  as  a  basis  of  constructive  sizes, 
the  decimal  divisions  are  impracticable.  The  reason  for  this  is  a  long 
one  which  we  will  not  attempt  to  give  here,  but  it  explains  the  universal 
use  of  the  millimeter  in  metric  machine  shops.  They  find  it  impracti- 
cable to  use  the  centimeter  as  a  unit  and  then  divide  it  decimally,  and  resort 
to  the  millimeter  which  they  multiply.  The  decimal  dividing  of  the 
centimeter  in  metric  machine  shops  is  unknown  and  with  it  goes  all 
claims  for  the  merits  of  decimal  division. 


CHAPTER  XX 
SPECIMEN  FLIGHTS  OF  THE  METRIC  IMAGINATION 

"Careful  estimates  by  experienced  educators  place  the  time  saved  by  the  adoption 
of  the  metric  system  from  two-thirds  to  one  year  in  the  life  of  every  school  child." 
Dr.  S.  W.  Stratton,  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards. 

"It  puts  a  burden  on  our  school  children  for  it  requires  two  or  three  years  and 
even  longer  to  learn  the  intricacies  of  the  present  system,  while  the  decimal  system 
can  be  mastered  in  thirty  minutes."  Dr.  Harvey  W.  Wiley. 

Chapter  X  shows  that  the  time  consumed  in  the^study  of  denominate 
numbers  and  weights  and  measures  in  the  schools  of  the  City  of  New  York 
aggregates  between  2.2  and  3.3  weeks  according  to  the  aptitude  of  the 
pupil.  If  the  old  units  are  to  continue  in  use  here,  as  they  have  in  every 
so-called  metric  country,  the  children  will  have  more  and  not  less  to 
learn. 

"The  metric  system  is  universal  in  chemistry."     General  Chorus. 

The  replies  to  the  questionnaire  which  is  the  subject  of  Chapter  III 
include  nineteen  from  chemical  manufacturers  (page  43),  not  one  of 
whom  makes  any  use  of  the  system  whatever. 

"The  metric  units  are  universal  in  the  electrical  industry."  G.  E.  M.  Thompson 
and  many  others. 

Metric  units  are  not  used  in  the  construction  of  electrical  machinery, 
the  foot  and  inch  being""as  universal  there  as  in  the  lumber  industry. 

"When  the  same  signs  and  symbols  express  to  all  the  same  weights  and  measure- 
ments this  will  mean  a  distinct  advance  along  the  road  to  international  peace."  Dr. 
Geo.  F.  Kunz,  President  the  American  Metric  Association. 

Since  1870  "the  same  signs  and  symbols"  have  expressed  the  same 
weights  and  measurements  in  France  and  Germany  but,  according  to 
common  report,  those  countries  were  recently  at  war.  Since  the  landing 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  "the  same  signs  and  symbols"  have  expressed 
the  same  weights  and  measurements  in  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain  but,  if  history  is  true,  those  countries  have  been  at  war  twice. 

"In  spite  of  positive  assertions  from  certain  antimetric  quarters  that  it  would  be 
dangerous  to  change  our  measures  during  the  war,  the  General  Staff  found  that  on 
the  spot  practical  conditions  made  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  the  only  rational 
step."  Mr.  Fred  R.  Drake,  Chairman  Executive  Committee  the  American  Metric 
Association. 

128 


SPECIMEN  FLIGHTS  OF  THE  METRIC  IMAGINATION          129 

The  war  maps  of  France  are  metric  and  to  secure  agreement  it  was 
necessary  that  the  gun  sights  of  our  military  arms  be  graduated  accord- 
ingly. The  difficulties  involved  in  this  use  of  the  system  were  at  a  mini- 
mum because  the  yard  and  meter  do  not  greatly  differ.  There  was  no 
trace  of  the  metric  system  in  the  construction  of  our  military  or  naval 
equipment.  It  was  found  necessary  to  translate  the  dimensions  of  the 
75  and  155  mm.  field  pieces,  of  which  the  designs  were  taken  over  from 
France,  and  of  the  Caproni  air  plane,  which  came  from  Italy,  into  English 
figures  before  the  work  was  done. 

This  quotation  is  typical.  A  relatively  simple  and  very  partial 
change  to  the  metric  system  is  represented  to  be  its  adoption,  the  reader 
being  left  to  infer  that  by  adoption  is  meant  universal  use.  Metric  litera- 
ture is  saturated  with  this  misrepresentation.  Metricites  seem  incapable 
of  learning  that  while  some  changes  are  easy  others  are  impossible. 

"  Dr.  Geo.  F.  Kunz  .  .  .  has  asked  Secretary  Baker  to  take  a  timely  step  in  the 
direction  of  reform.  He  has  invited  the  head  of  the  War  Department  to  have  the  new 
guns  and  other  weapons  of  war  made  in  accordance  with  the  metric  system."  New 
York  Evening  Mail,  Apr.  14,  1917. 

The  carrying  out  of  this  suggestion  would  have  involved  the  following: 

1.  The  remaking  of  many  thousands  of  drawings. 

2.  Equipping  the  shops  with  thousands  of  metric  precision  measuring 
instruments  and  gages  of  which,  at  the  time,  there  were  not  sufficient 
in  the  country  to  supply  a  single  shop. 

3.  The  remaking  of  thousands  of  special  tools  and  fixtures  at  a  time 
when  labor  for  this  class  of  work  (tool  makers)  was  almost  unobtainable. 

4.  Supplying  metric  screw  threading  tools  and  apparatus  and  provid- 
ing screw  threading  machines,  including  lathes,  with  metric  lead  screws 
and  change  gears.     Of  these,  again  the  country  did  not  contain  enough 
to  equip  a  single  shop. 

5.  Teaching  every  mechanic  engaged  in  the  work^the  use  of  the 
system.     The   magnitude   of   this  undertaking   may  be  learned  from 
Chapter  XI,  Learning  the  Metric  System. 

It  is  a  safe  assertion  that  had  the  suggestion  been  adopted  we  would 
not  have  gotten  into  the  war  at  all  and  that  if,  as  some  believe,  our  assist- 
ance was  essential,  Germany  would  have  been  the  victor. 

The  explanation  of  this  suggestion  is  that  its  author  is  an  expert  in 
precious  stones  who  has  no  knowledge  of  machine  shop  work. 

"Calculations  in  the  metric  system  are  two  or  three  times  as  accurate  as  in  the 
English  system."  Dr.  Jos.  V.  Collins. 

The  accuracy  of  calculations  has  no  relation  to  the  system  of  measure- 
ments used. 

"As  the  minority  has  agreed  beforehand  that  it  will  accept  the  will  of  the  majority 
and  abide  by  it,  at  least  until,  through  proper  constitutional  and  lawful  methods  the 


130  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

expression  of  that  will  may  be  changed,  there  is,  in  a  lawful  sense,  no  exercise  of  com- 
pulsion by  the  majority  as  against  the  minority.  Having  willed  in  advance  to  accept 
the  decision,  we  should  not  be  acting  against  our  will  under  the  decision,  and  therefore, 
would  not  be  subject  to  compulsion  but  rather  to  enlightened  and  frankly  invited 
cooperation.  We  consider  the  term  "  Compulsory  law  "  a  contradiction  of  democracy, 
a  term  that  should  not  be  applied  to  any  statute  duly  adopted  by  the  National  Con- 
gress and  adjudged  to  be  constitutional  by  such  machinery  as  the  democracy  has  set 
up."  The  Valve  World,  May,  1919. 

German  logic  outdone. 

"It  is  the  sole  system  in  all  Latin- America."     Mr.  Judson  C.  Welliver. 

"In  Central  and  South  America  the  metric  system  is  practically  universal."  Col- 
lier's Weekly. 

"It  is  practically  universal  throughout  Central  and  South  America."  Mr. 
Everett  Morss. 

"  It  is  the  system  used  in  every  day  life  by  the  civilized  peoples  all  over  the  world, 
except  in  America,  Great  Britain,  and  her  colonies."  Dr.  A.  E.  Kennelly,  Prof. 
Electrical  Engineering,  Harvard  University. 

"Scarcely  a  vestige  of  the  old  standards  is  left  in  any  country  that  has  adopted 
the  metric  system."  Dr.  Wm.  C.  Wells,  Chief  Statistician,  The  Pan  American 
Union. 

"The  theory  that  old  units  will  always  live  is  repudiated  by  experience  in  some 
thirty-odd  countries  which  have  successfully  adopted  the  metric  system  of  weights 
and  measures."  Mr.  Howard  Richards,  Secretary,  American  Metric  Association. 

"  America  and  Brittania  are  the  only  civilized  nations  that  have  not  yet  adopted 
these  standards,"  World  Trade  Club. 

Consult  Chapters  I  and  II. 

"In  less  than  a  year  one  would  have  forgotten  that  there  ever  was  any  other 
system."  Mr.  Adolph  W.  Miller. 

"To  adopt  the  metric  system  would  not  be  harder  for  the  United  States  than  to 
adopt  the  daylight  saving  plan."  Mr.  Arthur  Brisbane,  Editor  the  Hearst  papers. 

Consult  the  experience  of  other  nations  Chapters  I  and  II. 

"The  meter,  liter  and  gram  continue  to  prove  most  satisfactory  in  official  and 
general  use  in  Philippine  Islands,  Porto  Rico  and  other  United  States  possessions." 
Mr.  Fred  R.  Drake,  Chairman  Executive  Committee  American  Metric  Association 

Consult  Porto  Rico  page  27  noting  especially  the  observations  of 
Mr.  Holbrook  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards. 

"It  is  a  matter  of  little  interest  that  on  the  manifest  of  the  ship  that  brought  these 
goods  [wheat,  cotton,  oil,  iron,  copper  and  the  like]  they  were  denoted  by  these 
[English]  measures.  Not  so  if  the  goods  be  shoes,  cloth,  screws,  clothing,  tools  and 
machinery.  Here  the  inch,  the  yard  and  the  pound  are  wrought  into  the  article  as 
a  part  of  its  warp  and  weft.  He  cannot  sell  them.  His  customers  will  not  buy 
them.  The  man  who  needs  a  bolt  or  nut  threaded  to  the  metric  scale  will  not  take 
such  as  are  threaded  to  the  inch  scale.  Nothing  fits,  nothing  suits  and,  finally,  noth- 
ing is  sellable."  Dr.  W.  C.  Wells,  Chief  Statistician  the  Pan  American  Union  in  the 
Bulletin  of  the  Pan  American  Union,  January,  1917. 

The  above  was  written  before  its  author  had  seen  the  Report  on  the 
Metric  System  in  Latin  America  which  forms  the  subject  matter  of  Chap- 


SPECIMEN  FLIGHTS  OF  THE  METRIC  IMAGINATION          131 

ter  II.  After  that  report  had  been  sent  to  him  he  gave  an  interview  to 
the  New  York  Herald  from  which  the  following  is  a  quotation.  Note  the 
italicised  words  and  compare  the  reference  to  cloth  with  the  finding  of 
Mr.  W.  A.  Graham  Clark,  Commercial  agent  of  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce, that  cloths  are  seldom  sold  in  Latin  America  by  the  meter  and  the 
reference  to  clothing  with  the  large  use  of  the  inch  for  this  purpose  through- 
out Latin  America  as  shown  in  Chapter  II  and  read  the  following 
later  views  of  Doctor  Wells: 

"It  would  be  unfortunate  if  the  answer  to  this  question  be  involved  with  the  ques- 
tion whether  or  not  American  industry  should  or  should  not  change  from  the  English 
to  the  metric  system. 

"Everyone  recognizes  that  there  is  a  connection  in  the  matter  of  measure  between 
our  domestic  manufacturer  and  the  export  trade,  more  or  less  direct,  but  it  is  much 
less  direct  than  is  ordinarily  believed.  Sometimes  the  measure  counts,  sometimes 
it  does  not.  The  list  where  measure  does  not  count  or  scarcely  ever  acts  as  a  handicap 
is  broader  than  potatoes,  apples,  or  coal  oil.  Such  examples  are  padlocks,  watches, 
clocks,  sewing  machines,  typewriters,  cash  registers,  and  the  like."  Dr.  W.  C.  Wells, 
chief  Statistician  the  Pan  American  Union  in  the  New  York  Herald  for  Apr.  6,  1919. 

It  is  quite  clear  that,  between  these  expressions  of  opinion,  the  educa- 
tion of  Doctor  Wells  made  rapid  progress.  When  he  learns  that  to  his 
list  of  mechanical  products  there  should  be  added,  with  insignificant  ex- 
ceptions, all  manufactured  goods  of  whatever  kind  and  for  whatever 
purpose,  he  will,  perforce,  give  up  his  advocacy  of  the  system  for  the 
benefit  of  export  trade. 

"The  average  child  of  10  who  knows  the  metric  decimal  dollar  and  its  subdivisions 
can  learn  in  10  minutes  as  much  of  the  metric  system  as  90  per  cent,  of  all  the  people 
ever  have  occasion  to  use."  The  World  Trade  Club. 

.  Consult  Chapter  XI  Learning  the  Metric  System. 

"Panama,  Philippines,  Porto  Rico,  Cuba — parts  of  U.  S.  America — have  long 
used  meter-liter-gram."  The  World  Trade  Club. 

Consult  Panama  page  25,  Porto  Rico  page  27,  Cuba  page  19. 

"Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  present  coinage  of  the  British  Isles  as  well  as  the 
weights  and  measures  of  the  British  Isles  and  of  America  are  German."  The  World 
Trade  Club. 

As  well  claim  that  Germany  invented  the  English  language. 

"  The  German  Kaiser  would  not  have  dared  to  declare  war  if  America  and  Britan- 
nia had  been  standardized  on  metrics  when  the  Germans  adopted  the  system  exclu- 
sively in  1871."  The  World  Trade  Club. 

Germany  did  not  declare  war  on  the  United  States  or  Great  Britain 
the  declarations  in  both  cases  having  been  the  other  way  about  nor  did 
she  in  the  beginning  expect  either  country  to  come  in.  Germany  did 
declare  war  on  France,  Belgium,  Italy,  Russia,  Serbia  and  Roumania, 


132  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

all  of  which  countries,  according  to  metric  belief  and  representations, 
are  metric. 

"The  large  French  population  of  Canada  has  greatly  increased  the  use  of  the 
metric  system  there."  The  World  Trade  Club. 

Mr.  E.  O.  Way,  Chief  Inspector  of  Weights  and  Measures  for  the 
Dominion  of  Canada,  writes: 

"The  use  of  metric  weights  and  measures  in  Canada  is  practically  nil  and  less  in 
our  Quebec  Province  than  any  other." 

"  The  Allies  gained  victory  in  the  World  War  by  all  standardizing  with  metric 
units."  The  World  Trade  Club. 

They  did  nothing  of  the  kind. 

"  The  United  States  Government  are  using  the  Metric  System  almost  exclusively 
in  the  manufacture  of  aeroplanes."  Metric  News. 

Except  for  the  screw  thread  of  the  spark  plugs  there  was  no  trace 
of  the  Metric  System  in  American  aeroplane  war  work.  Even  the 
Caproni  plane,  of  which  the  design  came  from  Italy,  had  its  dimensions 
translated  from  Metric  to  English  figures. 

The  World  Trade  Club  publishes  a  -map  of  the  world  which  purports 
to  set  forth  the  present  weights  and  measures  condition  of  the  world. 
In  this  map  Greenland,  Patagonia  and  the  Sahara  Desert  are  set  down 
as  metric.  Comment  is  unnecessary. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE  STORY  OF  THE  BERRY  BASKETS 

This  story  illustrates  the  zeal  with  which  the  Bureau  of  Standards 
seizes  every  opportunity  fco  foist  the  metric  system  on  the  people  of  this 
country  and  the  devious  methods  to  which  it  is  prepared  to  resort  in 
order  to  accomplish  the  purpose.  In  1911  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
variation  in  the  sizes  of  berry  baskets  throughout  the  United  States. 
Some  of  the  States  had  laws  making  the  dry  quart  the  legal  measure  for 
berries  and  small  fruits,  the  offering  of  such  commodities  in  baskets  of 
other  capacity  being  illegal,  and  those  so  offering  them  subject  to  a  fine. 
Some  of  the  Southern  states  had  no  such  laws,  and  early  strawberries 
were  hence  shipped  to  Northern  markets  in  baskets  of  smaller  capacity, 
which  baskets,  while  legal  at  the  point  of  shipment,  were  illegal  at  the 
point  of  consumption.  To  remedy  this  anomalous  and  troublesome 
situation,  a  committee  of  produce  dealers  endeavored  to  obtain  the  pas- 
sage of  a  law  at  Washington  making  the  dry  quart  the  only  unit  of  meas- 
ure for  small  fruits  and  berries  throughout  the  country.  Upon  applying 
to  the  authorities  at  Washington  they  were  referred  to  the  Bureau  of 
Standards,  whose  officials  framed  for  them  a  bill  which  was  subsequently 
introduced  in  both  the  House  and  Senate.  This  bill  provided  that  the 
dry  quart  should  be  the  standard  for  berry  baskets,  but  also  contained 
this  proviso : 

"Provided  that  nothing  in  this  act  shall  prevent  the  sale  of  such  small  fruits  and 
berries  by  weight  or  by  the  liter,  half  liter,  quarter  liter,  or  multiples  of  the  liter." 

Now  the  liter  is  about  ten  per  cent,  smaller  than  the  dry  quart,  and  to 
everyone  familiar  with  that  fact  it  becomes  evident  at  once  that  the  metric 
proviso  would  nullify  the  main  object  of  the  bill  and  actually  make  the 
liter  the  United  States  standard  for  berry  baskets,  for  no  dealer  could 
afford  to  sell  by  a  large  quart  while  his  competitors  were  selling  by  a 
small  one.  The  small  liter  would  surely  drive  the  large  quart  out  of  use. 
Fortunately  when  this  bill  was  introduced  the  metric  joker  was  discovered 
by  Mr.  Dale,  who  sent  a  protest  against  it  to  both  the  House  and  Senate 
Committees  to  which  the  bill  had  been  referred.  He  also  started  an 
investigation  and  discovered  that  the  fruit  and  produce  dealers  who  had 
promoted  the  movement  to  secure  a  uniform  standard  based  on  the  dry 
quart,  had  been  informed  by  the  representative  of  the  Bureau  of  Stand- 
ards that  the  officials  of  that  Bureau  would  not  care  to  frame  a  bill  that 

[133 


134  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

would  in  any  way  interfere  with  the  metric  system.  Becuase  of  the 
official  prestige  of  the  Bureau,  the  deference  paid  to  it  by  members  of 
both  House  and  Senate  and  the  failure  of  the  produce  men  to  recognize 
the  effect  of  the  joker,  this  decision  settled  the  matter.  Accordingly 
the  bill  was  framed  with  the  metric  joker  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards  in  it. 

After  the  exposure  of  the  effect  of  the  metric  joker,  a  representative 
of  the  Bureau  of  Standards  at  a  subsequent  hearing  before  the  House 
Committee  on  Coinage,  Weights  and  Measures,  when  questioned  on  the 
subject,  saidjthe  Bureau  would  not  insist  on  the  metric  proviso,  and  when 
the  bill  fixing  the  dry  quart  as  the  standard  for  berry  baskets  became  a 
law  on  August  31,  1916,  it  contained  no  metric  proviso.  If  the  policy 
of  the  Bureau  of  Standards  had  prevailed  both  the  metric  liter  of  sixty- 
one  cubic  inches*  and  the  dry  quart  of  sixty-seven  cubic  inches  would 
have  been  legal  standards  for  berry  baskets,  causing  confusion  worse 
confounded\nd  constant  loss  to  millions  of  consumers  throughout  the 
country.  And  Jail  for  what?  Why,  that  the  Bureau  of  ^  Standards 
might  prevent  anything  from  interfering  with  the  metric  system. 

When  during  the  berry  season  we  see  the  berries  and  small  fruits  in 
the  market  and  delivered  to  our  homes  packed  in  baskets  of  uniform  size, 
each  holding  a  dry  quart  or  a  binary  division  of  a  dry  quart,  it  will  be 
well  for  us  to  remember  that  confusion  and  fraud  were  prevented  and  this 
uniformity  was  brought  about  because  the  plan  of  the  Bureau  of  Stand- 
ards to  force  the  liter  on  the  country  was  thwarted  in  1911  by  a  timely 
exposure.  The  officials  of  that  Bureau  have  shown  themselves  willing 
to  legalize  the  confusion  of  a  double  standard  if  they  can  accomplish 
their  object,  which,  first,  last  and  all  the  time,  is  to  get  the  metric  system 
in. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
THE  "METRIC"  CARAT 

One  of  the  recent  claims  for  the  advance  of  the  metric  system  is  the 
introduction  by  Dr.  Geo.  F.  Kunz,  President  of  the  American  Metric 
Association,  of  a  new  carat  for  weighing  gem  stones  which  is  claimed 
to  be  metric  because  its  value  is  200  milligrams. 

When  introducing  this  unit  Doctor  Kunz  did  two  things: 

First,  he  brought  order  out  of  chaos  by  establishing  one  value  to  the 
carat  where  it  formerly  had  twenty  or  thirty. 

Second,  having  done  this  by  defining  the  new  carat  in  metric  terms, 
he  proclaimed  the  result -as  due  to  the  merits  of  the  metric  system. 

The  results  of  his  work  are  due  to  the  fact  that  we  now  have  one 
carat  where  we  formerly  had  many.  The  new  carat  could  just  as 
readily  have  been  defined  in  grains  as  in  milligrams,  and,  had  that  been 
done,  the  same  uniformity  would  have  followed.  Assume  for  the  moment 
that  it  had  been  done,  and  the  result  claimed  to  be  an  illustration  of 
the  superiority  of  the  English  system.  Would  not  this  claim  have  been, 
on  its  face,  absurd,  and  is  not  the  claim  that  the  result  is  due  to  the 
merits  of  the  metric  system  just  as  absurd?  It  is  to  all  except  metric 
devotees. 

When  it  is  done,  the  new  carat  is  a  special  unit  for  weighing 
precious  stones  and,  as  such,  is  on  all  fours  with  the  Troy  ounce,  which 
is  a  special  unit  for  weighing  precious  metals.  The  metric  party  now 
glorify  the  carat  because  they  call  it  metric,  and  vilify  the  Troy  ounce 
because  it  is  called  English.  As  a  simple  matter  of  fact,  if  one  of  these 
units  is  good,  the  other  is  good;  if  one  is  bad,  the  other  is_  bad. 
Which  is  it?  Are  both  good,  or  both  bad? 

When  standardizing  the  carat  at  200  milligrams,  Doctor  Kunz  inno- 
cently confessed  the  inadequacy  of  the  decimal  ratio  (200  =  10  X  10  X  2), 
the  unsuitability  of  the  old  metric  units  for  special  uses,  and  the  need 
of  others.  The  metric  party  is  fond  of  saying  that  anything  can  be 
weighed  or  measured  in  one  system  of  units  as  easily  as  in  another. 
Why,  then,  are  not  gem  stones  weighed  in  milligrams  or  centigrams? 
Why  was  it  necessary  to  originate  a  new  unit  for  that  purpose?  This 
unit  is  a  confession  by  the  metric  party  that  the  milligram  is  not  suited 
to  their  use,  and  it  is  now  for  them  to  cease  denouncing  those  who  find 
the  millimeter  unsuited  to  theirs. 

Doctor  Kunz's  claim  that  the  new  carat  is  a  metric  unit  because  it 

135 


136  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

has  been  standardized  in  metric  terms  does  not  stand  alone.  Dr. 
William  C.  Wells,  Chief  Statistician  of  the  Pan-American  Union,  claims 
the  French  aune  as  a  metric  unit  because  it  has  been  standardized  at 
120  centimeters,  and  that  the  French  denier  has,  in  the  same  way, 
become  a  metric  unit  because  it  has  been  standardized  at  150  or  155 
milligrams  (he  is  not  sure  which),  the  former  ratio  containing  the 
factors  5  and  3  and  the  latter  5  and  31.  There  is  also  the  French 
pound  of  which  two  equal  a  kilogram  and  which  is  always  claimed  by 
the  metric  party  as  a  metric  unit.  Likewise,  there  are  others,  for 
example,  the  French  inch  of  which  thirty-seven  make  a  meter,  and  the 
South  American  gallon  which  is  equal  to  four  liters.  If  these  units  are 
metric,  as  is  claimed  for  most  of  them — and  the  claim  is  just  as  good 
for  one  as  for  another — then  we  have  as  parts  of  the  metric  system 
the  ratios  12,  5,  3  (or  31),  2,  2  again,  37  and  4. 

Plainly,  this  will  not  do.  The  chief  point  on  which  the  English 
system  is  regularly  denounced  by  the  metric  party  is  its  miscellaneous 
ratios,  while  the  chief  claim  for  the  metric  system  is  its  use  of  the 
single  ratio  10.  If  the  metric  system  is  a  decimal  system,  none  of  these 
units,  including  Dr.  Kunz's  carat,  is  metric,  while  if  it,  and  with  it  the 
others,  are  metric,  the  metric  system  does  not  differ  from  the  English 
as  regards  miscellaneous  ratios.  The  metricites  cannot  claim  both 
sides  of  the  argument.  They  must  give  up  calling  a  unit  metric 
because  it  has  been  standardized  in  metric  terms,  or  they  must  admit 
that  the  metric,  like  the  English,  system  is  characterized  by 
miscellaneous  ratios. 

(The  virtues  of  his  carat  and  its  metric  origin  formed  the  subject 
of  an  article  by  Doctor  Kunz  published  in  the  Scientific  American. 
This  chapter  was  originally  prepared  as  an  answer  to  that  article,  but 
the  Scientific  American,  which  is  ardently  pro-metric,  refused  to  print  it.) 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
THE  WORLD  TRADE  CLUB1 

For  the  past  six  months,  beginning  with  March,  1919,  a  mysterious 
propaganda  has  been  carried  on  by  mail  throughout  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain  under  the  name  of  "The  World  Trade  Club,"  with 
headquarters  at  San  Francisco,  from  which  city  vast  quantities  of  ex- 
pensive literature  have  been  mailed  broadcast,  appealing  to  all  classes 
of  people  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  Canada  and  Great  Britain  for 
support  of  a  movement  to  secure  legislation  by  the  United  States  Congress 
and  the  British  Parliament  making  the  use  of  metric  weights  and 
measures  compulsory  and  prohibiting  the  use  of  the  English  weights  and 
measures  now  established. 

A   MYSTEEIOUS    ORGANIZATION 

The  mystery  surrounding  this  World  Trade  Club  of  San  Francisco 
was  due  to  its  sudden  appearance,  no  one  ever  having  heard  of  it  before, 
the  vast  extent  of  its  mail  campaign,  whether  measured  by  the  number  of 
expensive  circulars  sent  out  or  the  great  extent  of  territory  covered,  the 
lavish  expenditure  of  money  in  the  work,  and  the  deliberate  omission  of 
the  name  of  its  principal,  if  not  its  only,  financial  backer  from  the  litera- 
ture distributed  by  the  Club. 

The  arguments  advanced  in  this  San  Francisco  literature  deserved  no 
consideration  in  any  serious  discussion  of  weights  and  measures,  but  were 
framed  to  appeal  to  the  large  number  who  habitually  confuse  the  metric 
system  with  decimals,  and  currency  with  weights  and  measures,  and  to 
stir  up  a  senseless  clamor  instead  of  leading  men's  minds  to  the  truth. 
So  instead  of  attempting  the  impossible  task  of  drowning  it  with  a  counter 
clamor  I  have  directed  my  energies  to  finding  out  what  was  back  of  this 
mysterious  propaganda.  During  the  six  months  that  it  has  been  under 
way  I  have  been  patiently  collecting  the  evidence  and  now  the  occasion 
seems  opportune  to  make  public  what  I  have  discovered. 

In  reporting  my  findings  I  shall  not  refer  by  name  to  one  important 
individual  connected  with  the  World  Trade  Club,  but  shall  designate  him 
as  "Mr.  Z.,"  leaving  it  to  Mr.  Z.,if  so  disposed,  to  make  known  his  identity 
and  give  to  the  public  the  information  that  I  have  not  yet  secured.  Vari- 
ous sources  of  my  information  will  also  be  designated  by  numbers  as  I 
have  not  asked  permission  to  make  public  the  names  of  my  informants. 

1  By  Mr.  Samuel  S.  Dale, 

137 


138  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

CHRONOLOGY  OF  THE  PROPAGANDA 

March  29.  The  World  Trade  Club's  mail  campaign  begins  with  an 
expensive  circular  printed  in  colors,  accompanied  by  a  circular  letter 
bearing  the  printed  signature  "Wm.  E.  Hague,  Secretary-Treasurer/' 
asking  that  the  recipients  sign  the  petitions  enclosed  and  addressed  to 
President  Wilson,  the  House  Committee  on  Coinage  Weights  and  Meas- 
ures, British  Prime  Minister  Lloyd-George  and  the  British  Parliament, 
endorsing  the  exclusive  use  of  the  metric  system  "by  legislation,  promul- 
gation or  order  in  council"  in  the  United  States  and  British  Isles,  two 
stamped  envelopes  addressed  to  the  President  and  Prime  Minister  being 
also  enclosed  for  mailing  the  petitions. 

Attached  to  the  circular  was  a  slip  on  which  was  printed  this  request : 

"This  is  a  copy  sent  to  you  in  advance  of  printing  a  very  large  edition.  Can  you 
improve,  strengthen,  condense,  correct  or  contribute  one  more  fact?  Do  it  for  the 
benefit  of  all  human  kind.  Do  it  quickly,  for  the  press  is  started.  Telegraph  Collect, 
Ramsey  Mailing  Co.,  618  Mission  St.,  San  Francisco,  World  Trade  Club." 

March  to  September.  Four  different  editions  of  the  World  Trade 
Club  circulars,  revised  and  printed  in  more  expensive  form,  are  spread 
broadcast  throughout  the  United  States,  Canada  and  Great  Britain,  being 
mailed,  not  only  to  newspapers  and,  organizations,  but  to  individuals  in 
all  walks  of  life,  and  in  every  case  enclosed  with  stamped  envelopes  ad- 
dressed to  President  Wilson  and  Prime  Minister  Lloyd-George. 

July.  An  entirely  new  circular  distributed  by  the  World  Trade  Club, 
having  attached  to  it  a  resolution  "voted  unanimously  by  the  World  Trade 
Club  on  June  18,  1919,"  urging  that  the  United  States  Congress  and  the 
British  Parliament  adopted  the  metric  system  as  the  exclusive,  legal 
standard. 

March  to  September.  Many  newspapers  and  periodicals  publish 
pro-metric  articles  and  editorials  based  on  the  World  Trade  Club  circu- 
lars, in  some  cases  naming  the  World  Trade  Club  and  in  others  letting 
the  articles  appear  as  if  they  were  original.  Among  the  publications  that 
"fell"  for  the  San  Francisco  stuff  was  "  Commerce  Reports,"  issued  by  the 
Department  of  Commerce,  which  includes  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  and 
which  published  the  pro-metric  resolution  " passed  unanimously"  by 
the  World  Trade  Club. 

REPORTS    OF    INVESTIGATORS 

May  12.  A  letter  from  the  World  Trade  Club  to  New  England  cor- 
respondent No.  1  states: 

"This  movement  is  world  wide  and  there  are  headquarters  for  furthering  the  pro- 
ject in  New  York,  Brussels,  Sydney,  Tokio,  Rome  and  other  large  cities  of  the  world." 

May  20.  San  Francisco  correspondent  No.  2  investigates  the  World 
Trade  Club  and  writes: 


THE  WORLD  TRADE  CLUB  139 

"The  World  Trade  Club  is  located  in  an  office  on  Mission  Street  without  any  indi- 
cation of  its  presence  on  the  entrance  door  or  elsewhere.  A  man  connected  with  an 
advertising  agency  located  there  stated  the  funds  for  the  work  came  from  various 
societies  throughout  the  world." 

May  24.     San  Francisco  correspondent  No.  3  investigates  and  reports: 

"  Wni.  E.  Hague,  secretary  of  the  World  Trade  Club,  who  is  also  secretary  of  the 
One  Hundred  Per  Cent.  Club  and  the  Foreign  Trade  Club,  states  that  the  work  of 
the  World  Trade  Club  is  being  financed  by  Mr.  Z.,  a  wealthy  business  man  of  Boston 
now  residing  at  the  —  —  Hotel  in  this  city.  Mr.  Z.  is  actuated  solely  by  a  desire 
to  benefit  the  human  race  by  bringing  about  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system.  It  is 
his  hobby  and  he  has  the  money  to  gratify  it." 

May  28.    San  Francisco  correspondent  No.  4  investigates  and  reports : 

All  this  circularizing  is  financed  by  a  rather  mysterious  individual  named  Z. 
He  has  paid  about  $80,000  to  one  local  advertising  firm  and  the  total  cost  to  date  is 
around  $100,000.  No  one  at  the  address  of  the  World  Trade  Club  wanted  to  say 
anything.  There  are  two  theories  about  Mr.  Z.'s  purpose.  He. may  be  trying  to 
improve  the  Allies'  foreign  trade  balance  by  securing  international  adoption  of 
the  metric  system,  or  he  may  be  carrying  out  the  hobby  of  a  rich  eccentric." 

June  9.  San  Francisco  correspondent  No.  3  investigates  and 
reports : 

"The  statement  that  Mr.  Z.  is  a  wealthy  Boston  business  man  is  misleading,  as 
we  find  that  he  was  formerly  engaged  in  manufacturing  somewhere  in  Massachu- 
setts. He  is  credited  with  being  a  millionaire,  but  however  this  may  be,  he  is 
spending  a  lot  of  money  in  the  prosecution  of  his  hobby,  pays  his  bills  and  asks 
no  favors  or  contributions  to  promote  the  work.  The  above  information  was  ob- 
tained from  Mr.  Hague,  whom  I  have  known  well  for  many  years  and  in  whom 
I  have  the  greatest  confidence." 

June  23.  San  Francisco  correspondent  No.  5  investigates  and 
reports : 

"Mr.  Z.  seems  to  have  unlimited  funds  and  pays  promptly.  He  invariably  de- 
sires to  know  the  exact  amount  to  be  paid  several  days  before  the  account  is  due." 

June  23.  San  Francisco  correspondent  No.  2  investigates  and 
reports : 

Mr.  Z.  has  engaged  the  services  of  the  Ramsey  Mailing  Co.  to  print,  mail  and 
distribute  a  vast  number  of  circulars  and  this  work  is  being  paid  for  by  Mr.  Z.  The 
name  '  World  Trade  Club '  is  adopted  simply  for  convenience  and  to  give  more  weight  to 
the  matter  sent  out  than  if  it  was  signed  by  an  individual.  Mr.  Z.  is  doing  this  work 
quietly  and  has  made  no  effort  to  gain  the  personal  publicity  which  might  easily  have  been 
his." 

July  14.     San  Francisco  correspondent  No.  3  investigates  and  reports : 

"I  have  interviewed  Mr.  Z.}  who  was  the  subject  of  our  recent  correspondence. 
Mr.  Z.  is  devoting  a  large  part  of  his  private  fortune  in  presenting  to  the  public 
arguments  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  metric  units.  Literature  is  being  sent  out 
under  the  name  of  the  World  Trade  Club  as  a  matter  of  convenience  and  to  avoid  the 
appearance  of  being  the  work  of  an  individual,  which,  in  Mr.  Z.'s  opinion,  would  detract 
from  its  effect." 


140  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 


Aug.  11.  The  World  Trade  Club  introduces  a  new  feature  into  its 
propaganda  by  sending  to  the  press  "News  Items"  printed  in  typewriter 
type  with  this  "Note  to  the  Editor:"  "Release  immediately.  Please 
insert  current  date."  These  "news  items,"  which  bear  the  name  "W. 
H.  Hammer,  President,"  in  addition  to  those  of  the  Club  and  Wm.  E. 
Hague,  all  relate  to  the  pro-metric  propaganda.  Their  value  as  "news 
items"  can  be  judged  from  two  of  them. 

One  of  these  quotes  as  if  it  were  recent  a  pro-metric  statement  by 
Secretary  of  Commerce  Redfield,  which  1  find  was  made  by  that  official 
in  a  speech  in  Baltimore  on  Dec.  27,  1918,  eight  months  previous  to  its 
appearance  as  a  World  Trade  Club  "news  item." 

In  this  San  Francisco  Club  the  flight  of  time  does  not  affect  the  news 
value  of  the  items  in  which  the  newspapers  of  the  country  are  asked  to 
"insert  current  date"  and  "release  immediately." 

For  example,  one  of  these  items  quotes  without  naming  the  date  a  pro- 
metric  statement  by  Andrew  Carnegie,  which  on  investigation  I  find  was 
made  by  Carnegie  in  a  letter  dated  Cannes,  France,  Dec.  13,  1897,  and 
addressed  to  Albert  Herbert,  Boston,  Mass.,  twenty-two  years  preceding 
the  date  on  which  the  editors  of  American  newspapers  are  asked  by  the 
World  Trade  Club  to  "release  it  immediately"  as  a  "news  item,"  in- 
serting "current  date." 

"A   THOUSAND   DOLLARS   FOR   ONE   WORD" 

August  11.  The  World  Trade  Club  sends  to  the  newspapers  a  re- 
lease-immediately-please-insert-current-date  "news-item,"  making  this 
announcement : 

$1000  Will  Be  Paid  for  a  Single  Word 

"San  Francisco,  August .  Can  you  create  the  one  word  which  will  best  de- 
note the  United  States  and  all  parts  of  Britain?  If  so,  you  will  be  paid  at  the  rate 
of  $1000  a  word.  The  World  Trade  Club  of  San  Francisco  has  offered  $1000  to  the 
person  who  suggests  the  word  which,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Club's  Metric  Campaign 
Committee,  is  best  adapted  to  world-wide  use.  The  World  Trade  Club  is  offering 
this  award  because  in  carrying  on  its  present  campaign  for  the  adoption  of  metric 
units  by  all  English-speaking  people,  it  was  hampered  by  the  lack  of  a  single  short 
word  which  would  express  all  English-speaking  countries.  The  money  will  be  paid 
to  the  winner  at  noon  on  May  15,  1920." 

FAKE   EDITORIALS   TO    INFLUENCE    CONGRESS 

August  11.  The  World  Trade  Club  seeks  to  relieve  the  editors  of 
newspapers  by  sending  them  "suggested  editorials  on  metric  weights  and 
measures."  Here  is  the  title  with  a  few  significant  passages  from  one 
of  these  ready-made  "editorials,"  which  the  editors  were  to  use  as  their 
own  in  order  to  persuade  people  in  all  parts  of  the  country  to  write  to 


THE  WORLD  TRADE  CLUB  141 

their  Representatives  and   Senators,   urging  legislation  to  make  the 
metric  system  compulsory  and  the  English  system  illegal : 

"TELL  YOUR  LEGISLATORS 

''For  months  past  the  World  Trade  Club  of  San  Francisco  and  the  Metric  Associa- 
tion of  New  York  have  been  waging  a  vigorous  campaign  for  the  adoption  of  the 
metric  units  of  weight  and  measure  by  the  United  States. 

"World  Trade  Club  particularly  has  been  right  on  the  job.  The  copious  litera- 
ture issued  by  the  club  has  shown  with  relentless  logic  the  need  for  world-standardiza- 
tion of  weights  and  measures,  and  the  great  gain  the  metric  system  would  bring  to 
the  United  States  in  trade,  in  manufacture,  in  education. 

"Hundreds  of  America's  most  eminent  men  have  taken  the  trouble  to  write  or 
telegraph  World  Trade  Club  pledging  support  to  the  campaign. 

"All  this  is  very  well. 

"Reasons  are  good;  but  acts  are  better. 

"  World  Trade  Club  is  doing  its  part.     But  there  is  still  an  important  step  to  take. 

"It  is:  to  get  the  thing  done. 

"In  other  words,  the  matter  is  now  up  to  the  legislators  of  the  United  States,  par- 
ticularly the  members  of  Congress. 

"Congress  has  dallied  with  this  subject  ever  since  the  days  of  Thomas  Jefferson. 

"Our  legislators  lacked  the  'gumption'  to  adopt  meter-liter-gram.  In  1866  Con- 
gress made  the  metric  system  legal.  Why  was  it  not  made  exclusive?  Now  is  the 
time  to  remedy  the  error. 

"Our  legislators  know  this.  They  know,  too,  that  metric  standardization  will 
remove  a  great  handicap  on  commerce  and  education.  But  they  need  to  be  reminded 
— to  be  written  to — to  be  urged  to  get  the  thing  done. 

"  Write  today.  A  postal  will  do  it.  Write  your  Senators,  your  Congressman.  Get 
the  thing  done.  Tell  your  legislators." 

August  16.  Announcement  by  press  dispatch  from  Washington 
that,  because  of  a  great  popular  demand,  a  bill  making  the  metric  system 
compulsory  is  to  be  introduced  in  the  House  of  Representatives  by 
Congressman  A.  H.  Vestal,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Coinage, 
Weights  and  Measures,  and  that  extended  bearings  will  be  given  on  the 
measure. 

LENDING   WEIGHT   TO    THE    PROPAGANDA 

Sept.  10.  San  Francisco  correspondent  No.  3  investigates  and 
reports : 

"The  World  Trade  Club  is  not  in  any  sense  an  organization  such  as  the  name  im- 
plies, it  being  merely  a  name  adopted  for  the  purpose  of  lending  weight  to  the  propaganda 
such  as  it  would  not  carry  over  the  name  of  an  individual.  It  is  of  course  impossible 
for  this  to  become  generally  known,  but  as  the  local  sponsors  of  the  movement  are 
within  their  rights  in  making  use  of  this  title,  I  see  no  way  in  which  it  can  be 
prevented." 

EFFECT   OF   THE    CLAMOR 

Sept.  15.  I  call  on  Chairman  Vestal  of  the  Committee  on  Coinage, 
Weights  and  Measures,  and  he  tells  me  the  report  of  Aug.  16  is  correct, 


142  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

that  a  metric  bill  is  to  be  introduced  in  the  House,  the  reason  being  the 
great  clamor  for  such  a  bill,  thousands  of  letters  having  come  from 
all  parts  of  the  country.  I  ask  him  if  he  knows  what  is  back  of  this 
clamor.  "Yes,"  he  replies.  "World  Trade  Club?"  I  ask.  "Yes,"  is 
his  answer.  "Do  you  know  what  the  World  Trade  Club  is?"  I  ask. 
"No,"  he  replies,  "but  I  propose  to  find  out  before  I  get  through  with  it." 

SUMMARY    OF   THE    CASE 

The  information  given  above  regarding  the  World  Trade  Club  of 
San  Francisco,  obtained  from  a  number  of  independent  sources,  is  all  in 
.  agreement  and  indicates  that  this  Club  is  backed  financially  by  one  man, 
Mr.  Z,  whose  name  does  not  appear  on  any  of  the  vast  quantity  of 
literature  which  has  been  mailed  under  the  name  of  the  World  Trade 
Club;  that  of  the  two  names,  W.  H.  Hammer  and  Wm.  E.  Hague, 
appearing  on  this  literature,  the  former  is  not  mentioned  in  any  of  the 
various  reports,  while  the  latter  is  referred  to  in  complimentary  terms 
in  one  of  the  reports,  and  appears  to  be  acting  as  a  secretary  of  several 
San  Francisco  organizations,  including  the  World  Trade  Club,  in  which 
he  is  evidently  not  the  moving  spirit;  that  the  World  Trade  Club  has 
expended  a  very  large  amount  of  money  in  an  extraordinary  extensive 
mail  campaign  with  the  object  of  manufacturing  directly  and  through  the 
press  a  public  sentiment  that  would  lead  a  sufficient  number  of  people 
in  all  walks  of  life  and  all  parts  of  the  country  to  bring  pressure  to  bear 
on  the  members  of  both  branches  of  Congress  at  Washington  and  of  the 
Parliament  at  London  to  enact  legislation  making  the  use  of  the  metric 
system  compulsory  and  that  of  the  English  system  illegal;  that  the  prin- 
cipal and  apparently  the  sole  financial  supporter  of  this  World  Trade 
Club  is  the  mysterious  Mr.  Z,  who  is  reported  as  being  actuated  by  a 
desire  to  benefit  the  human  race,  and  who  withholds  his  own  name  and 
conducts  the  propaganda  under  the  name  of  the  World  Trade  Club 
because  it  would  carry  more  weight  under  that  name  than  under  the 
name  of  an  individual. 

It  also  appears  that  up  to  the  present  time  Mr.  Z's  plan  has  attained 
a  certain  success  in  the  United  States.  The  effect  of  the  propaganda 
has  been  such  that,  as  Chairman  Vestal  admitted,  enough  people  have 
written  to  their  Representatives  in  Congress  to  create  a  pressure  which 
is  leading  to  the  introduction  of  a  compulsory  metric  ^  bill  and  to  the 
granting  of  hearings  on  it  before  the  House  Committee  on  Coinage, 
Weights  and  Measures. 

TURN    ON    THE    LIGHT 

For  one  I  wish  to  enter  my  protest  against  this  method  of  manu- 
facturing and  misleading  public  opinion.  Before  this  propaganda  to 


THE  WORLD  TRADE. CLUB  143 

force  the  metric  system  on  the  American  people  and  make  it  a  crime 
punishable  by  fine  and  imprisonment  to  use  our  English  weights  and 
measures  goes  any  farther,  I  ask  the  Committee  on  Coinage,  Weights  and 
Measures  to  call  upon  Mr.  Z  of  the  World  Trade  Club  to  disclose  his 
identity  and  give  all  the  facts  regarding  the  mysterious  and  objectionable 
propaganda  he  has  been  carrying  on  from  San  Francisco  for  the  past 
six  months,  in  order  that  the  people  and  their  Representatives,  not 
only  in  the  United  States,  but  in  all  English-speaking  countries,  may 
know  what  the  World  Trade  Club  actually  is  and  who  is  or  are  back  of  it. 

It  may  be  that  this  San  Francisco  campaign  is  the  work  of  only  one 
man,  who  is  devoting  his  private  fortune  to  the  propaganda  in  the  sincere 
belief  that  it  is  all  for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  If  so,  the  American  people 
and  their  Representatives  at  Washington  should  know  it,  so  as  to  be  able 
to  place  the  proper  weight  on  the  pro-metric  influences  radiating  from  San 
Francisco  for  the  past  six  months. 

On  the  other  hand  the  mystery  surrounding  this  World  Trade  Club, 
its  lavish  expenditure  of  money  (reported  at  $80,000  for  one  edition  of  its 
circulars,  of  which  there  already  have  been  four)  and  its  methods  of  agita- 
tion are  such  as  to  excite  the  suspicion  that  it  is  not  the  enterprise  of  one 
man,  but  is  a  deep-laid  scheme  by  a  group  to  accomplish  in  1919,  when 
world  affairs  are  in  a  state  of  flux,  something  that  has  heretofore  been  im- 
possible, the  compulsory  introduction  of  a  foreign  system  of  weights  and 
and  measures  in  English-speaking  countries.  If  that  is  true,  then  the 
English-speaking  peoples  and  their  Representatives  should  know  it. 

Whichever  of  these  two  theories  may  be  the  truth,  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain. No  individual  or  group  should  be  allowed  to  carry  on  a  propaganda 
under  cover  of  a  misleading  name,  such  as  "World  Trade  Club,"  for 
the  purpose  orexciting  popular  clamor Jand  by  that  means  securing  the 
enactment  of  special  legislation  by  Congress  or  the  Parliaments  of 
other  countries. 

END    THE   ARTIFICIAL    PRESSURE    ON    CONGRESS 

The  regulation  of  weights  and  measures  is  one  of  the  most  difficult 
problems  of  government.  A  mistake  in  the  control  of  fundamental 
standards  is  almost  certain  to  prove  irreparable.  Any  proposal,  there- 
fore, to  change  an  established  system  calls  for  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  facts,  clear  thinking,  calm  deliberation  and  complete  freedom  from 
the  influences  born  of  bias  developed  by  propaganda. 

Let  there  be  an  end  once  and  for  all  to  the  artificial  pressure  that  has 
been  brought  to  bear  on  Congress  to  enact  compulsory  metric  legislation, 
a  pressure  that  for  nearly  twenty  years  has  had  its  source  in  the  Bureau 
of  Standards  and  which  for  six  months' has  been  intensified  by  the  mail 
campaign  of  the  mysterious  World  Trade  Club  of  San  Francisco. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
THE   METRIC    SYSTEM   AND   THE   VALVE   WORLD1 

The  Crane  Co.,  Chicago,  111.,  is  the  leading  advocate  of  the  metric 
system  in  this  country.  It  conducts  a  constant  agitation  for  that  system 
in  its  house  organ,  The  Valve  World,  which  is  edited  by  Justin  W.  Mc- 
Eachren.  There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  responsibility  for  the  agita- 
tion. Mr.  McEachren  has  not  only  defined  the  position  of  the  Crane  Co., 
but  has  given  a  very  explicit  account  of  how  the  managers  of  the  company 
decided  on  a  course  of  action  to  promote  the  metric  system.  In  an  address 
before  the  American  Metric  Association  at  Pittsburgh,  Mr.  McEachren 
said: 

"The  Crane  Co.  deliberately  reached  the  conclusion  that  it  would 
ally  itself  with  the  advocates  of  the  widest  practical  adoption  and  use 
of  the  metric  system. 

"We  resolved  ourselves  into  a  Committee  of  the  Whole,  with  Com- 
mon Sense  in  the  chair. 

"We  satisfied  ourselves  that  we  were  equipped  to  study  the  question 
of  international  industry  and  standards  with  an  international  mind. 
This  was  the  hardest  matter  we  had  to  decide.  The  rest  was  compara- 
tively easy. 

"So  we  speedily  reached  the  conclusion  that  we  understood  the  mean- 
ing of  international  standards  to  be  the  standardization  of  sizes. 

"We  decided  straightway  to  join  the  pro-metric  forces  and  to  wield 
such  influence  as  we  might  in  preparing  for  the  fullest  and  widest  prac- 
tical use  of  that  system.  With  this  decision  the  matter  was  turned  over 
to  the  Editor  of  The  Valve  World,  and  in  its  pages  for  the  last  six  years 
you  may  read  how  he  has  carried  out  his  instructions." 

CAKRYING    OUT    HIS    INSTRUCTIONS 

Mr.  McEachren  tells  us  that  by  turning  to  the  pages  of  his  organ 
we  can  see  how  he  has  carried  out  his  instructions.  First  let  us  read  his 
profession  of  faith  : 

"Advocates  of  the  more  general  use  of  the  metric  system  ask  only  the 
freest  and  widest  discussion  of  the  question  in  all  its  bearings.  They 
make  no  restrictions.  The  metric  system  advances  because  it  is  scientific 

1  By  Mr.  Samuel  S.  Dale. 

144 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  AND  THE  VALVE  WORLD  145 

and  because  it  is  unafraid.  It  courts  the  widest  and  most  unlimited 
discussion." 

Those  are  brave  words,  but  a  diligent  search  of  the  weights  and  meas- 
ures discussion  during  the  past  hundred  and  thirty  years  reveals  no  metric 
advocate  who  has  lived  up  to  them.  They  may  ask  for  free  discussion, 
but  they  invariably  refuse  to  accept  it.  Their  case  is  based  on  the  as- 
sumption that  the  metric  system  is  in  wide  use,  that  it  makes  its  way  on 
its  merits,  and  that  it  is  intrinsically  a  superior  system  well  adapted  to 
the  work  of  the  world.  They  refuse  to  face  the  facts,  because  to  do  so 
would  show  that  their  claims  as  to  the  extensive  use  of  the  metric  system 
are  to  a  great  extent  false,  that  the  system  has  made  its  way  only  by 
compulsory  laws  backed  by  penalties  of  fine  and  imprisonment  for  their 
violation,  and  that  intrinsically  it  is  defective  and  unsuited  to  the  needs 
of  man.  As  the  metricites  cannot  face  the  facts  the  only  course  left  is 
to  run  away  from  them  or  to  distort  them  in  some  closed  forum  where 
exposure  of  the  misrepresentation  is  forbidden ;  for  example,  before  the 
National  Wholesale  Grocers'  Association1  or  in  the  organ  of  the  Crane  Co. 

If  there  is  anyone  who  thinks  this  indictment  is  too  severe  he  can 
find  complete  confirmation  of  it  in  the  pages  of  the  Crane  Co.'s  organ,  to 
which  Mr.  McEachren  'nvites  attention.  There  he  will  find  a  wide 
divergence  between  profession  and  practice.  A  few  typical  examples: 

SUPPRESSING   THE   BRITISH   REPORTS 

An  example  of  the  suppression  of  facts  damaging  to  the  metric  cause 
by  the  organ  of  the  Crane  Co.  is  found  in  connection  with  the  report  of 
the  four  Parliamentary  Committees  on  British  Industrial  and  Com- 
mercial Policy  after  the  War,  from  which  extracts  will  be  found  in  Chapter 
VI,  which  were  appointed  by  the  Asquith  Government  in  1916.  These 
four  Committees,  after  a  thorough  investigation  lasting  eighteen  months, 
rejected  the  proposal  to  introduce  the  metric  system  into  the  United 
Kingdom.  Their  reports,  made  public  early  in  1918,  were  of  the  first 
importance,  but  anyone  who  relied  on  the  organ  of  the  Crane  Co.  for 
information  would  have  remained  in  ignorance  of  their  existence  to  this 
day.  There  was  no  excuse  for  this  suppression.  The  reports  were  widely 
published  and  Mr.  McEachren  was  asked  in  July,  1918,  to  print  an  ab- 
stract of  their  anti-metric  decisions. 

His  was  an  embarrassing  position.  He  had  his  instructions  to  carry 
on  a  metric  propaganda.  His  way  of  carrying  out  his  instructions  was 

1  A  request  for  an  opportunity  to  read  a  paper  before  this  Association  was  refused 
by  its  secretary  under  date  of  March  31,  1919,  in  these  words:  "We  could  not  think 
therefore  of  allowing  you  a  place  on  that  program  or  in  any  of  our  proceedings  to 
present  your  case  when  it  is  diametrically  opposed  to  the  views  we  hold.  The  above 
is  also  the  expression  of  our  Metric  System  Committee  of  which  Mr.  Fred  R.  Drake 
of  Easton,  Pa.,  is  chairman. 

10 


146  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

to  suppress  the  reports.  And  yet  this  representative  of  the  Crane  Co. 
declares  in  public  that  he  "  courts  the  widest  and  most  unlimited 
discussion." 

FOREIGN   TRADE   AND    LATIN   AMERICA 

The  American  Institute  of  Weights  and  Measures  has  published 
reports  of  two  investigations.  The  first,  in  1917,  was  an  exhaustive 
inquiry  into  the  use  of  the  metric  system  in  export  trade1  and  showed 
that  the  claims  made  for  the  metric  system  in  export  trade  are  unfounded. 
The  second  investigation  related  to  the  weights  and  measures  of  Latin 
America2  and  showed  that  the  introduction  of  the  metric  system  has 
resulted  only  in  confusion,  because  of  the  mixture  of  the  metric  units  with 
the  Spanish  and  English  systems,  also  that  the  Spanish  and  English 
systems  are  so  closely  identical  as  to  make  it  comparatively  easy  to  unify 
the  weights  and  measures  of  the  Western  Hemisphere  on  the  English 
basis.  Here  again  were  facts  constituting  new  and  conclusive  evidence 
of  the  hollo wness  of  the  metric  claims  in  general  and  of  the  Crane  Co.'s 
formula  in  particular.  Another  embarrassing  situation.  How  did  Mr. 
McEachren  carry  out  his  instructions?  Again  by  suppression. 

FUNDAMENTAL   STANDARDS 

In  the  February,  1919,  issue  of  the  Crane  Co.'s  organ  there  is  a  com- 
ment, divided  into  seven  numbered  sections,  on  a  circular  letter  signed  by 
Geo.  S.  Boudinot,  secretary  of  the  National  Association  of  Manufacturers, 
which  gave  the  text  of  anti-metric  resolutions  adopted  by  that  organiza- 
tion. In  that  comment  Mr.  McEachren  said: 

" 2.  The  international  prototype  meter  and  kilogram  are  regarded 
by  statute  as  'fundamental  standards/ 

"3.  All  the  important  nations  of  the  world  have  received  and  used 
accurate  copies  of  the  metric  standards,  and  these  are  the  only  'funda- 
mental standards/  with  every  important  nation  except  Great  Britain." 

Both  statements  are  wrong.  No  United  States  law  has  ever  recog- 
nized the  meter  and  kilogram  as  fundamental.  The  law  of  1866  making 
the  use  of  the  metric  system  permissive  specifically  recognized  the 
English  system  as  fundamental  by  defining  the  metric  units  in  terms  of  the 
English  system.  A  meter  was  defined  as  39.37  inches;  a  kilogram, 
as  2.2046  pounds,  etc.  Many  have  been  misled  into  believing  the  con- 
trary because  a  superintendent  of  the  Bureau  of  Weights  and  Measures 
at  Washington  issued  an  order  in  1893  that  the  yard  should  be  derived 
from  the  meter  by  comparison  with  the  lines  on  a  metric  bar  that  had 
recently  been  received  from  Sevres.  That  was  a  mere  detail  in  the  work 


This  investigation  forms  the  subject  of  Chapter  III. 
1  This  investigation  forms  the  subject  of  Chapter  II. 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  AND  THE  VALVE  WORLD  147 

of  a  national  sealer  of  weights  and  measures.  It  had  no  more  effect  on 
our  fundamental  standards  than  a  like  ruling  by  a  sealer  of  weights  and 
measures  in  the  city  of  Chicago  would  have,  because  the  Constitution 
gives  to  Congress  the  sole  power  to  fix  the  standard  of  weights  and 
measures.  The  English  system  is  the  United  States  standard  by  both 
common  and  statute  law.  The  contrary  belief  has  been  encouraged  by 
the  officials  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  who  have  included  this  1893  rul- 
ing of  a  bureau  in  a  compilation  of  "Laws  of  the  United  States  on  Weights 
and  Measures."  But  that  proves  nothing  except  that  pro-metric  bias 
is  not  confined  to  the  organ  of  the  Crane  Co.,  but  also  rules  the  Bureau  of 
Standards. 

THE    METRIC    SYSTEM   OR   FINE   AND   IMPRISONMENT 

In  his  February,  1919,  comment  Mr.  McEachren  said: 

"4.  Advocates  of  the  metric  system  do  not  favor  its  'compulsory' 
adoption. 

"5.  It  is  not  proposed  by  the  Shafroth  bill,  nor  by  any  pro-metric 
body,  to  take  any  statutory  measure  to  extend  the  use  of  the  metric 
system  under  present  conditions." 

Again  the  representative  of  the  Crane  Co.  is  wrong.  Here  are  typical 
statements  by  prominent  advocates  of  the  metric  system: 

David  Molitor,  third  vice-president  of  the  American  Metric  Associa- 
tion, signed  in  1908  a  report  to  the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers 
which  closed  with  these  words: 

"The  Congress  should  assert  its  authority  in  clear  and  unmistakable  language 
that  from  and  after  a  certain  date  (not  over  five  years  from  date  of  passage)  the  inter- 
national metric  system  shall  be  the  only  lawful  standard  throughout  the  United  States, 
its  territories  and  possessions,  and  that  failure  to  comply  with  this  act  shall  be  pun- 
ishable by  fine  or  imprisonment  or  both,  as  the  court  may  direct." 

Dr.  G.  F.  Kunz,  president  of  the  American  Metric  Association,  at  the 
meeting  of  that  organization  on  Dec.  27,  1916,  said  (italics  mine) : 

"I  believe  it  entirely  feasible  to  arrange  legislation  either  by  optional  use  of  the 
two  systems  of  weight  and  measure  for  a  certain  term  of  years  or  by  temporary  exemp- 
tion of  certain  types  of  machinery." 

Fred  R.  Drake,  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  American 
Metric  Association,  who  is  carrying  on  a  pro-metric  agitation  among  the 
grocers  of  the  country,  had  this  to  say  on  April  10,  1916,  in  a  letter  to  the 
members  of  the  National  Wholesale  Grocers'  Association : 

"  Our  campaign  is  educational  now,  looking  to  its  eventual  compulsory  legisla- 
tive adoption  by  Congressional  enactment." 

The  Shafroth  bill  contains  this  provision,  making  the  metric  system 
compulsory  in  the  departments  of  the  Government  after  Jan.  1,  1920: 


148  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

"On  and  after  the  first  day  of  January,  nineteen  hundred  and  twenty,  all  the 
departments  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  in  the  transaction  of  all  business 
requiring  the  use  of  weight  and  measurement  except  in  completing  the  survey  of 
public  lands,  shall  employ  and  use  only  the  weights  and  measures  of  the  metric  system." 

It  also  contained  this  provision : 

"On  and  after  the  first  day  of  January,  nineteen  hundred  and  twenty-two,  the 
weights  and  measures  of  the  metric  system  shall  be  the  legal  standard  weights  and 
measures  of  and  in  the  United  States." 

The  last  clause  would  accomplish  one  of  the  objects  for  which  the 
metric  agitators  in  the  Bureau  of  Standards  are  striving,  namely,  to 
make  the  metric  system  what  it  is  not  now,  the  standard  of  the  United 
States. 

Mr.  Frederick  Brooks,  speaking  before  the  Boston  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers,  said  (italics  mine) : 

"An  executive  order  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  might  establish  the  metric 
system  whether  the  people  liked  it  or  not  in  exclusive  use  in  the  customs  houses  on  short 
notice." 

Mr.  Alfred  W.  Parker,  speaking  before  the  Boston  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers,  said: 

"I  think  it  would  be  a  good  idea  for  Congress  to  set  a  date  on  which  the  system 
will  be  compulsory." 

A  bill  (H.  R.  151)  introduced  in  Congress  by  Representative  Dillon 
contains  this  provision: 

"Sec.  4. — That  any  person,  corporation,  company,  or  association  who  shall  use, 
or  offer  and  attempt  to  use,  in  any  industrial  or  commercial  transaction  in  the  sale 
or  purchase  of  any  commodity  any  other  weights  and  measures  than  those  of  the  metric 
system  on  and  after  July  first,  nineteen  hundred  and  twenty-four,  shall  be  guilty  of  a 
misdemeanor,  and  upon  conviction  thereof  in  any  court  of  competent  jurisdiction 
shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  more  than  $500  or  by  imprisonment  for  not  more 
than  three  months,  or  by  both  such  fine  and  imprisonment." 

Mr.  McEachren's  knowledge  of  the  intentions  of  his  associates  is  as 
limited  as  his  willingness  to  publish  the  facts  established  by  his  opponents. 
Mr.  McEachren  also  said  in  the  same  comment: 

6.  "It  (opposition  to  the  metric  system)  is  bound  to  be  swept  aside 
by  the  march  of  events." 

7.  "Because  that  usage  (widest  practicable  use  of  the  metric  system) 
is  inevitable,  we  are  not  in  the  least  concerned  about  any  temporarly 
opposition." 

That  is  mere  prophecy,  a  source  of  error  as  fruitful  as  it  is  unnecessary. 
Only  one  of  the  seven  statements  was  correct : 

1.  "The  metric  system  has  been  lawful  in  the  United  States  for 
more  than  fifty  years." 


THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  AND  THE  VALVE  WORLD  149 

We  find  Mr.  McEachren  here  commenting  on  an  anti-metric  state- 
ment he  has  ventured  to  print.  And  what  is  the  result?  Two  of  his 
seven  statements  are  mere  prophecy;  four,  erroneous;  and  only  one  cor- 
rect. An  exposure  of  the  errors  in  his  comment  on  the  resolutions  of  the 
National  Association  of  Manufacturers  was  sent  to  Mr.  McEachren  with 
a  request  that  he  print  it.  Up  to  date  he  has  as  usual  suppressed  what 
he  does  not  want  to  print. 

WHEN    COMPULSION   IS   NOT   COMPULSION 

In  the  April,  1919,  issue  of  the  Crane  Co. 's  organ  Mr.  McEachren 
discourses  on  the  question,  "What  is  Compulsion?"  in  which  he  refers 
to  an  earlier  statement  by  him  that  he  (the  Crane  Co.)  does  not  advocate 
the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  by  compulsory  methods.  He  occupies 
nearly  two  pages  in  trying  to  demonstrate  that  a  compulsory  law  is  not 
a  compulsory  law  when  enacted  by  Congress  because  we  live  under  a 
government  by  the  majority.1  Under  the  McEachren  conception  cf  our 
form  of  Government  no  United  States  law  can  be  compulsory.  That  of 
course  is  nonsense,  but  it  is  part  of  the  metric  fallacy  on  which  the  Crane 
Co.'s  metric  policy  rests. 

1  Mr.  McEachren's  demonstration  that  compulsion  is  not  compulsion  is  given  on 
page  129. 


CHAPTER  XXV 
A  RATIONAL  WEIGHTS  &  MEASURES  PROGRAM 

The  outstanding  features  of  the  present  weights  and  measures  of  the 
world  are  as  follows : 

1.  The  universal  use  of  the  English  system  in  navigation  and  sea 
measurements. 

2.  The  overwhelming  preponderance  of  the  English  system  in  manu- 
facture. 

3.  The  overwhelming  preponderance  of  the  English  system  in  inter- 
national trade  and  commerce,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  are  the  chief  manufacturing  and  trading  nations. 

4.  The  fact  that  the  forces  of  trade  and  commerce  have  carried  the 
English  system  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 

5.  The  fact  that  all  the  nations  investigated  use  the  English  system 
and  are  perfectly  familiar  with  it. 

6.  The  fact  that  the  people  everywhere  do  not  like  the  metric  system 
and  refuse  to  use  it  except  to  the  extent  to  which  they  are  compelled  by 
law. 

7.  The  fact  that,  because  of  (6),  the  attempt  to  adopt  the  metric 
system  has  been  followed  by  failure  after  failure. 

8.  The  great  sinrlaiity  of  the  English  and  Spanish  systems  which  are 
substantially  identical  in  structure,  where  they  differ  being  chiefly  in  the 
values  of  units,  this  difference,  in  the  case  of  the  most  important  units 
in   international   commerce — those   of   weight — being,    for   commercial 
purposes,  negligible. 

9.  The  fact  that  in  five  countries  of  Latin  America  this  slight  differ- 
ence in  values  of  units  of  weight  (one-half  of  one  per  cent.)  has  led  to  the 
general  adoption  of  the  English  values. 

10.  The  fact  that  German  influence  which,  in  the  past,  has  been 
largely  responsible  for  the  propaganda  in  favor  of  the  metric  system,  will, 
in  future,  be  negligible.1 

All  these  conditions  open  up  a  great  opportunity  for  the  unification 
of  the  weights  and  measures  of  North  and  South  America  and  the  British 
Empire  on  the  basis  of  the  system  which  is  common  to  all,  because  of 

1  According  to  the  1919  Report  of  the  -Weights  and  Measures  Committee  of  the 
American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  "Alexander  Siemens,  the  leading  head 
and  financial  backer  of  the  Decimal  Association  of  Great  Britain,  had  been  obliged 
to  leave  the  country  because  of  his  German  connections." 

150 


A  RATIONAL  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES  PROGRAM  151 

the  identity  of  structure,  while  the  slight  difference  of  values  of  the  Eng- 
lish and  Spanish  units  would  avoid  all  that  confusion  of  thought  involved 
in  recasting  all  conceptions  of  values  that  is  inseparable  from  the  attempt 
to  adopt  the  metric  system. 

Here  is  a  simple,  sensible,  practicable  plan  for  the  promotion  of  the 
commercial  relations  of  the  two  Americas  and  of  the  British  Empire. 
Let  us  give  up  the  chase  of  this  will-o-the-wisp  which  the  nations  of  the 
world  are  always  chasing  but  never  catching.  Let  us  consult  the  ex- 
perience of  the  past.  Let  us  recognize  that  the  attempt  to  adopt  the 
metric  system  is  a  failure.  Let  us  work  for  what  is  feasible,  possible  and 
practicable. 

What  more  sane,  simple,  sensible,  obvious,  practical,  common  sense 
method  of  promoting  the  commerce  of  the  two  Americas  and  of  the 
British  Empire  is  there  than  this  ? 

Let  us  unify  the  weights  and  measures  of  the  two  Americas  and  of  the 
British  Empire  on  the  basis  of  the  system  which  came  to  us  all  from  the 
mother  of  us  all — the  Roman  Empire — and  which  is  no  more  English 
than  it  is  Spanish  and  no  more  Spanish  than  it  is  English  for  it  is  neither. 
It  is  Roman. 

Nothing  could  so  promote  international  trade  and  assure  the  domi- 
nance of  the  English  speaking  peoples  over  Germany  in  industry  and 
commerce.  To  promote  the  English  system  is  to  work  for  the  interest 
of  the  English  speaking  peoples;  to  promote  the  metric  system  is  to  work 
for  the  interest  of  Germany. 

It  is  to  be  profoundly  regretted  that,  in  her  present  temper  in  these 
matters,  France  must  be  omitted  from  such  a  program.  However,  in  a 
large  sense,  France  is  not  a  trading  nation,  while  such  products  as  she 
does  export  are  largely  those  of  highly  developed  artistic  handicraft 
which  have  little  competition  and  in  which  weights  and  measures  play  a 
very  subordinate  pait. 

This  work  has  already  made  a  promising  beginning.  Eighteen 
years  ago  the  Engineering  Societies  of  Great  Britain  formed  a  joint  Engi- 
neering Standards  Committee  which  published  several  reports  of  the  first 
order  of  importance  to  British  industries.  About  the  time  of  the  War, 
the  scope  was  extended  to  an  Association  and,  in  recognition  of  the  Com- 
mittee's splendid  work,  the  Government  turned  over  to  the  Association 
all  of  the  standardization  work  in  aircraft  and  a  still  further  development 
is  in  progress,  it  is  understood,  in  the  shipbuilding  industry. 

Sir  Archibald  Denny,  Bart.  L.L.D.,  is  chairman  of  the  Association.1 
As  these  pages  go  to  press  the  Secretary,  Mr.  Charles  LeMaistre  is  present 
in  this  country  at  the  invitation  of  the  American  Engineering  Standards 

1  Sir  Archibald  has  been  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Weights  and  Meas- 
ures from  its  beginning. 


152  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Committee,  and  has  brought  the  invitation  of  the  British  Engineering 
Standards  Association  for  an  Anglo-American  conference  to  promote  a 
unification  of  screw  threads.  This  invitation  has  been  accepted  by  the 
American  Engineering  Standards  Committee  and,  in  turn,  the  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers  and  the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers 
have  been  invited  by  the  Committee  to  be  the  sponsor  bodies  and  to  confer 
with  the  National  Screw  Thread  Commission,  appointed  by  Congress. 

There  is  no  thought  of  doing  this  on  any  other  basis  than  the  English 
system.  With  the  engineering  societies  of  the  two  countries  united  in  the 
establishment  of  English  system  standards,  what  sense  is  there  in  discus- 
sing the  adoption  of  the  metric  system?  If  the  United  States  and  the 
British  Government  will  join  hands  in  promoting  this  work,  as  they 
have  recently  joined  them  in  a  still  greater  enterprise,  the  metric  system 
will  soon  be  relegated  to  the  limbo  of  forgotten  subjects  of  discussion. 


APPENDIX  I 

THE  CHARACTER  AND  STANDING  OF  THE  OPPONENTS 

OF  THE  METRIC  SYSTEM  WITH  SOME  OF 

THEIR  CONDEMNATIONS  OF  IT 

The  Council  of  the  American  Institute  of  Weights  and  Measures,  which 
was  organized  to  oppose  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system,  contains  three 
Past  Presidents  of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  a  Past 
President  of  the  American  Manufacturers  Export  Association,  a  Past 
President  of  the  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Society  of  America,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  National  Association  of  Manufacturers  and  a  Past  President  of 
the  same  organization,  two  Past  Presidents  of  the  Society  of  Automotive 
Engineers,  a  Past  President  of  the  National  Metal  Trades  Association,  a 
Past  President  of  the  Society  of  Naval  Architects  and  Marine  Engineers, 
the  President  of  the  Westinghouse  Electric  and  Manufacturing  Co.,  the 
President  of  the  Stevens  Institute  of  Technology  and  the  professor  of 
Mechanical  Engineering  at  Yale  University.  No  other  American  organi- 
zation can  present  such  a  list  of  names  as  this. 

The  Council  of  the  American  Metric  Association  which  was  organized  to 
promote  the  adoption  of  the  system  contains  a  wholesale  druggist,  two 
wholesale  grocers,  a  professor  of  pharmacy,  a  director  of  a  museum,  a  secre- 
tary of  a  bourse,  and  an  expert  in  precious  stones. 

Which  of  these  two  bodies  would  the  reader  select  to  determine  the 
industrial  policy  of  this  country? 

Following  are  some  condemnations  of  the  system  from  those  whose 
names  will  command  respect: 

John  Quincy  Adams,  Past  President  of  the  United  States : 

The  substitution  of  an  entire  new  system  of  weights  and  measures, 
instead  of  one  long  established  and  in  general  use,  is  one  of  the  most 
arduous  exercises  of  legislative  authority.  There  is  indeed  no  diffi- 
culty in  enacting  and  promulgating  the  law;  but  the  difficulties  of 
carrying  it  into  execution  are  always  great,  and  have  often  proved  in- 
superable. 

The  legislator  .  .  .  finishes  by  increasing  the  diversities  which  it 
was  his  intention  to  abolish,  and  by  loading  his  statute  book  only 
with  the  impotence  of  authority,  and  the  uniformity  of  confusion. 

Thus,  then,  it  has  been  proved  by  the  test  of  experience  that  the 
principle  of  decimal  divisions  can  be  applied  only  with  many  qualifica- 
tions to  any  general  system  of  metrology;  that  its  natural  application 
is  only  to  numbers,  and  that  time,  space,  gravity  and  extension  in- 
flexibly reject  its  sway.  The  new  metrology  of  France,  after  trying 
it  in  its  most  universal  theoretical  application,  has  been  compelled 
to  renounce  it  for  all  the  measures  of  astronomy,  geography,  navigation, 

153 


154  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

time,  the  circle,  and  the  sphere;  to  modify  it  even  for  superficial  and 
cubical  linear  measure,  and  to  compound  with  vulgar  fractions  in  the 
most  ordinary  and  daily  uses  of  all  its  weights  and  all  its  measures. 

It  is  of  little  consequence  to  the  farmer,  who  needs  a  measure  for  his 
corn,  to  the  mechanic  who  builds  a  house,  or  to  the  townsman  who 
buys  a  pound  of  meat  or  a  bottle  of  wine,  to  know  that  the  weight  or 
the  measure  which  he  employs  was  standarded  by  the  circumference  of 
the  globe. 

Sir  George  B.  Airy,  Astronomer  Royal  of  Great  Britain: 

In  the  statements  introductory  to  the  proposals  for  new  systems  in 
France,  North  Germany,  and  India,  very  great  stress  is  laid  on  the 
discordance  in  the  fundamental  units  of  their  customary  weights  and 
measures  as  adopted  in  different  districts  of  the  same  empire.  These 
reasons  have  no  force  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  throughout  which, 
whatever  difference  may  prevail  as  to  the  multiples  in  local  use,  the  fun- 
damental units,  namely,  the  yard,  the  pound,  the  gallon,  are  strictly 
the  same. 

It  is  very  little  important  whether  the  relation  between 'the  standards 
adopted  for  the  different  measures  (for  instance,  the  mile  and  the  yard) 
be  or  be  not  simple,  provided  that  it  be  ascertained. 

Association  of  Railway  Master  Mechanics: 

WHEREAS,  A  bill  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  the 
departments  of  the  Federal  Government  has  been  reported  favorably 
to  the  House  of  Representatives; 

WHEREAS,  We  consider  that  the  only  effect  of  such  a  law  will  be 
the  creation  of  a  government  metric  system  and  the  continuation  of  the 
existing  system  in  ordinary  commerce  and  industry; 

WHEREAS,  It  is  evident  that  the  confusion  resulting  from  such  a 
condition  of  things  would  be  intolerable; 

WHEREAS,  We  believe  a  change  in  the  system  of  weights  and 
measures  used  by  the  people  at  large  to  be  impossible;  therefore  be  it 

RESOLVED,  By  the  American  Railway  Master  Mechanics  As- 
sociation, in  convention  assembled,  that  we  condemn  all  legislation 
intended  to  promote  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  this  country. 

Babcock  Printing  Press  Manufacturing  Company: 
We  consider  the  proposition  of  changing  our  system  of  weights  and 
measures  to  the  metric  system  as  no  more  necessary  or  desirable  than 
teaching  the  men  in  our  shop  the  language  of  the  country  in  which  the 
machine  is  to  be  run. 

C.  W.  Baldridge,  Civil  Engineer: 

The  fact  that  all  city  subdivisions,  land  subdivisions  and  practically 
all  measurements  of  anything,  for  record  or  of  permanence,  in  the  United 
States,  are  made  in  the  system  of  which  the  foot  is  the  unit,  would  con- 
stitute an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  the  changing  of  that  unit. 

A  few  months'  work  among  the  old  vara  measured  Spanish  grants  of 


APPENDIX  I  155 

Southern  Texas  was  sufficient  to  convince  me  of  the  undesirability  of 
changing  a  unit  of  measurement. 

John  H.  Ball,  Manufacturer  of  Machinery,  Barcelona,  Spain: 
In  regard  to  the  change  from  English  to  metric  measures,  proposed 
in  the  United  States  and  being  agitated  in  England,  it  surely  would  be 
a  great  pity  to  throw  deliberately  away  the  uniformity  at  present  reign- 
ing in  these  countries.  After  four  and  a  half  years  in  a  professedly  metric 
country  the  English  system  is  still  to  me  the  easier.  After  some  forty 
or  more  years  of  the  metric  system  in  this  country  the  mixture  is,  after 
all  these  years,  an  abominable  mixture  still,  and  bids  fair  to  continue  so 
for  many  years  to  come. 

Hon.  Mr.  Bartlett,  Member  of  Congress: 

Let  me  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  for  nearly  thirty  years  the 
people  of  the  United  States  have  had  the  very  rare  privilege,  have  had 
the  absolute  right,  of  enjoying  and  using  this  marvelous  metric  system. 
This,  to  my  mind,  is  a  salient  and  pertinent  objection.  This  has  been 
on  our  statute  books  ever  since  a  certain  day  in  July,  1866,  and  since 
that  day  it  has  been  lawful  for  the  people  of  the  United  States  to  avail 
themselves  of  every  principle  contained  in  the  metric  system.  Have 
our  people  done  so?  Have  they  cried  out  with  the  eloquence  of  the 
gentleman  from  Pennsylvania  that  we  must  abandon  these  old,  per- 
nicious Anglo-Saxon  systems  of  weights  and  measures  and  secure  the 
priceless  boon  of  a  new  Latin  system.  I  say  that  the  very  fact  that  they 
have  not,  the  very  fact  of  the  indisposition  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States  to  abandon  the  system  of  weights  and  measures  to  which  they 
have  been  accustomed  from  time  immemorial,  should  justify  the  denial 
of  the  passage  of  this  law. 

C.  A.  Bates,  Head  of  Assessment  Division,  U.  S.  Treasury 
Dept.: 

The  substitution  of  any  new  and  radically  different  system  of  ascer- 
taining taxable  quantities  would,  until  fully  inaugurated,  naturally 
result  in  much  confusion  and  possible  loss  of  revenue.  New  blanks  and 
regulations  would  be  necessary  and  new  stamps  of  the  required  denomi- 
nations would  have  to  be  provided.  In  a  word,  the  entire  basis  of  our 
present  system  of  weighing,  gauging,  marking,  and  stamping  such  tax- 
able articles  and  of  computing  the  tax  thereon  would  be  changed.  The 
present  rate  of  tax  would  be  seriously  complicated. 

So  far,  therefore  as  convenience  and  accuracy  are  concerned,  the  pres- 
"ent  system  has  all  the  advantages  of  the  proposed  metric  system. 

Charles  E.  Billings,  President,  Billings  &  Spencer  Company: 
Large  sums  of  money  have  been  expended  to  establish  standards  of 
such  products  as  screws,  bolts,  nuts,  taps,  reamers,  gages,  and  innu- 
merable articles  of  manufacture.  The  adoption  of  the  Metric  system 
would  throw  the  entire  manufacturing  industry  of  this  country  into  a 
state  of  chaos  that  would  result  in  practical  paralysis. 


156  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

George  M.  Bond,  Specialist  in  Precision  Measurements: 

I  have  had  experience  in  linear  work,  and  consider  the  English  units 
such  as  are  adopted  and  have  been  used  for  years — the  inch,  foot,  and 
yard — as  tending  more  to  convenience  and  to  economy  than  would  be 
the  case  with  the  subdivisions  or  the  units  as  represented  by  the  milli- 
meter or  the  meter. 

Rear  Admiral  Bowles,  Chief  Constructor,  U.  S.  Navy;  from  an 
official  communication  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy: 

The  Bureau  considers  it  desirable  to  lay  before  you  a  brief  statement 
of  the  serious  disadvantages  that  would  be  incurred  by  the  enforcement 
of  the  proposed  measure  in  the  Navy  Department  and  particularly  in 
this  Bureau. 

I  am  unable  to  see  the  ultimate  advantage  claimed  for  the  metric 
system.  The  enormous  difficulty  of  the  entire  loss  of  present  standards 
is  entirely  lost  sight  of  in  the  mere  slight  convenience  in  conversion  from 
one  system  of  measures  to  ano.ther. 

Sir  Frederick  Bramwell,  F.  R.  S.: 

I  well  know  the  value  of  decimals,  and  the  indispensable  need  for  their 
use  in  many  circumstances;  but  I  object  to  being  compelled  to  use  them 
when  they  are  not  needed  and  are  in  the  way. 

I  find  it  easier  to  state  %ths,  and  to  deal  with  it  mentally,  than  to 
put  it  into  the  form  of  .875.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  restricted  by  law  in 
the  use  of  my  tools. 

British  Parliamentary  Committee  on  Commercial  and  In- 
dustrial Policy  after  the  War: 

Having  given  very  full  consideration  to  the  subject,  we  are  unable 
to  recommend  the  compulsory  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  this 
country. 

In  our  opinion  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  the  anticipated  uniformity 
could  not  be  obtained  for  a  very  long  period,  if  ever. 

In  textiles,  British  measures  are  widely  recognized  all  over  the  world 
even  in  metric  countries,  and  in  the  cotton  trade  British  "counts" 
have  become  the  standard.  By  abandoning  them,  we  should  jeopardize 
our  supremacy  in  this  respect.  Lancashire  witnesses  are  emphatically 
of  opinion  that  the  metric  system  is  unsuitable  for  cotton  manufacture, 
and  they  point  to  the  fact  that,  in  metric  countries,  it  has  to  be  modified 
for  that  purpose. 

The  practical  argument  that  its  adoption  is  desirable  in  order  to 
secure  uniformity  in  the  markets  of  the  world  has  been  shown  to  be 
unfounded .  We  are  not  satisfied  by  any  evidence  which  has  been  brought 
before  us  that  trade  has  been  actually  lost  to  this  country  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  use  of  the  metric  system  is  not  compulsory.  ...  To 
attempt  to  make  the  use  of  the  system  universal  and  obligatory  in 
this  country  would  cause  great  loss  and  confusion  at  a  particularly 


APPENDIX  I  157 

inopportune  moment  for  the  sake  of  distant  and  doubtful  advantages. 
We  are  convinced  that  so  far  from  assisting  in  the  re-establishment 
of  British  trade  after  the  war,  such  a  measure  would  seriously  hamper  it. 

As  regards  the  educational  advantages  claimed  for  the  change,  we 
have  been  referred  to  a  statement  quoted  by  the  Select  Committee  of 
1895  that  no  less  than  one  year's  school  time  would  be  saved  if  the 
metric  system  were  taught  in  the  place  of  that  now  in  use.  The  in- 
formation that  we  have  received  does  not  support  that  statement. 

It  is  often  popularly  supposed  that  the  introduction  of  the  metric 
system  would  render  possible  the  immediate  sweeping  away  of  many 
complicated  and  varying  weights  and  measures.  As  we  have  already 
indicated,  this  belief  is,  in  our  opinion,  wholly  fallacious. 

We  are  not  convinced  that  the  metric  system  is,  upon  the  whole, 
even  theoretically  superior  to  the  British  system,  and  we  are  satisfied 
that  the  practical  objections  to  the  proposed  change  are  such  as  deci- 
sively to  outweigh  any  advantages  which  are  claimed  for  it. 

British  Parliamentary  Committee  Representing  the  Textile 
Trades: 

The  great  British  textile  trades — and  more  particularly,  the  cotton 
trade — are  so  predominant  in  the  world  that  similar  industries  in  other 
countries  have  had,  in  the  main,  to  follow  their  lead  and  to  accept 
their  technical  standards.  For  instance,  the  "counts"  of  cotton  yarn 
used  in  most  metric  as  well  as  non-metric  countries  are  the  English 
"counts."  ...  All  calculations  of  cost  are  made  upon  the  basis  of 
these  lengths  and  weights  and  any  change  would  produce  for  a  long  time 
an  almost  world-wide  confusion.  Then,  the  yard  is  so  well  known  in 
India  and  China  as  to  have  become  the  linear  measure  of  foreign  trade, 
and  a  change  to  the  meter  would  cause  confusion  and  embarrassment 
in  the  largest  and  most  conservative  cotton  using  markets  in  the  world. 

An  argument  of  great  force  against  our  adoption  of  the  metric  system 
is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  a  larger  proportion  of  our  textile  export 
trade  is  done  with  non-metric  countries  than  with  metric  countries. 
The  yard  is  the  standard  of  measurement  in  almost  all  the  great  markets 
of  the  East,  in  the  United  States,  and  throughout  the  British  Empire. 
.  ....  If  our  present  system  is  a  disadvantage  to  us  in  dealing  with 
the  minority  using  the  metric  system,  our  metric  competitors  must 
find  the  metric  system  a  still  greater  disadvantage  to  them  in  dealing 
with  a  majority  not  using  the  metric  system. 

British  Parliamentary  Committee  Representing  the  Shipping 
and  Ship  Building  Industries: 

So  far  as  shipbuilding  and  marine  engineering  are  concerned,  we  see 
no  reason  for  the  change.  That  part  of  the  metric  system  involving 
the  decimal  subdivision  of  time  and  the  right  angle  is  most  objection- 
able, and,  if  adopted,  would  most  seriously  prejudice  the  interests  of 
navigation. 


158  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

British  Parliamentary  Committee  Representing  the  Engineer- 
ing Trades: 

There  is  no  demand  from  the  side  of  the  manufacturer  for  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  inch  measure  and  pound  weight  and  the  compulsory  adoption 
of  the  metric  system.  .  .  .  There  are  also  two  strong  reasons  among 
others  against  any  change  at  the  present  time.  First,  that  the  expense 
of  the  change  would  be  so  great  in  replacement  of  measuring  instruments, 
lathe  screws,  etc.,  that  the  trade  could  not  bear  it  at  a  time  when  its 
recuperative  powers  will  be  so  severely  taxed. 

L.  D.  Burlingame,  Chief  Draftsman,  the  Brown  and  Sharpe 
Manufacturing  Company: 

In  the  matter  of  figuring  drawings  we  have  had  considerable  ex- 
perience, with  the  metric  system  in  our  dealings  with  foreign  countries, 
and  in  comparing  a  large  number  of  drawings  we  find  the  English  system, 
with  its  fractions  or  decimals,  is  fully  as  simple  and  requires  fewer 
figures  than  the  metric  system. 

I  have  made  an  effort  for  several  months,  and  I  have  also,  through 
our  mechanical  engineers  and  men  who  are  doing  our  calculating,  sought 
to  find  some  problem  where  there  would  be  a  saving  in  our  line  of  work. 
I  failed  to  find  the  first  problem.  Perhaps  some  of  those  who  have  used 
the  metric  system  quite  extensively  could  show  us  something,  but 
among  our  foreign  draftsmen,  who  have  been  brought  up  on  the  metric 
system,  none  of  them  have  been  able  to  show  us  any  problem  that  has 
come  up  in  our  practical  work  where  there  would  be  the  least  saving  by 
using  the  metric  system. 

J.  P.  Brophy,  Vice-Pres.  &  Gen'l.  Mgr.,  the  Cleveland  Auto- 
matic Machine  Co.: 

Is  there  no  way  that  agitation  among  the  general  public  in  this  country 
(and  the  newspapers  ought  to  take  it  up)  that  the  rebuke  of  those  who 
have  to  stand  for  this  change  in  our  measurement  will  be  so  severe  that 
those  men  in  Washington  who  do  not  comprehend  what  a  tremendous 
amount  of  labor  there  is  attached  to  the  using  of  the  metric  system 
in  America,  would  get  wise  to  the  fact  that  it  would  be  better  to  stop 
now  before  they  go  any  further? 

I  am  speaking  here  from  the  standpoint  of  a  manufacturer  who  knows 
just  what  he  is  talking  about. 

Certainly  if  we  do  not  get  busy  this  law  will  go  into  effect  and  then  we 
will  have  an  almost  insurmountable  job  ahead  of  us.  I  for  one  can  see 
from  a  business  standpoint,  disaster  awaiting  us  if  something  is  not 
done  to  prevent  this  damaging  legislation. 

John  R.  Byron,  Cotton  Spinner,  Manchester,  England: 

International  statistics  prove  that  the  combined  populations  of  the 
countries  in  which  the  metric  system  has  been  nominally  adopted  are 
not  equal  in  number  to  the  population  of  the  British  Empire  alone. 

Our  race  has  uniformity  in  our  manufacturing  units,  and  by  one 


APPENDIX  I  159 

portion  only  of  the  race  changing  we  shall  lose  that  most  valuable 
merit.  In  all  countries  where  the  English  language  is  spoken,  where 
English  laws  are  made,  where  English  freedom  reigns,  where  English 
customs  prevail,  there  are  to  be  found  the  manufacturer  and  the  trader 
using  those  English  weights  and  measures — and  those  only — which 
have  assisted  in  making  his  manufactures  pre-eminent  and  his  commerce 
world- wide.  Those  British  manufacturers  who  are  actively  objecting 
to  the  meter  are  those  who  have  wakened  up  to  the  necessity  of  "running 
the  race"  without  handicap  of  any  kind.  They  are  determined  to 
retain  the  freedom  they  now  possess;  freedom  to  use  those  weights  and 
those  measures  which  experience  has  convinced  them  are  best  suited 
for  their  purpose. 

Canadian  Manufacturers  Association: 

WHEREAS,  National  legislation  is  proposed  and  is  being  vigorously 
urged  to  substitute  the  Metric  System  for  our  present  standards  of 
weights  and  measures,  and 

WHEREAS,  In  the  language  of  the  "  British  Committee  on  Com- 
mercial and  Industrial  Policy  After  the  War/'  which  exhaustively 
investigated  this  proposal, 

"  We  are  not  convinced  that  the  metric  system  is  upon  the 
whole  even  theoretically  superior  to  the  British  system,  and  we 
are  satisfied  that  the  practical  objections  to  the  proposed 
change  are  such  as  to  decisively  outweigh  any  advantages 
which  are  claimed  for  it." 

THEREFORE,  Be  it  resolved,  that  we  regard  the  present  period  of 
difficult  readjustment  from  war  to  peace  as  a  most  untimely  period 
in  which  to  discuss  or  adopt  a  new  system  of  weights  and  measures 
and  thus  add  another  to  the  many  trying  difficulties  of  this  hour. 
(Carried  unanimously  and  with  applause.) 

Hon.  Joseph  G.  Cannon,  Member  of  Congress: 

We  have  had  the  legal  right  to  use  this  system  for  thirty  years.  And 
yet,  after  thirty  years  of  permissible  use  of  this  system,  when  we  think 
of  weights  and  measures,  we  think — I  was  going  to  say,  in  English — 
we  think  in  pounds,  or  tons,  or  feet,  or  inches,  as  we  have  been  taught. 
Our  people  universally  understand  what  those  words  mean.  It  has  been 
that  way  for  a  long  time,  and  was  so  before  there  was  any  United  States. 
It  may  be  said  to  run  through  our  literature;  and  although  we  have  the 
power  to  enact  this  legislation,  I  do  not  believe  it  is  in  the  power  of 
Congress  to  bring  that  system  into  use  by  statute.  If  we  undertake 
to  legalize  it  to  the  exclusion  of  any  other,  I  think  it  will  beget  great 
confusion,  and  that  we  shall  subject  ourselves  to  much  criticism,  without 
effecting  the  reform  which  the  gentleman  thinks  is  desirable. 

F.  E.  Cardullo,-  Instructor  in  Machine  Design,  Syracuse 
University : 

In  answer  to  Doctor  Stratton's  argument  that  the  metric  system 
should  be  adopted  because  it  is  a  decimal  system  we  would  say  that  our 


160  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

own  should  be  retained,  because  it  may  be  made  a  decimal  system  when- 
ever it  is  of  advantage  for  us  to  do  so,  and  it  may  be  kept  as  a  binary 
system  whenever  we  find  it  of  advantage  to  do  that. 

Conjoint  Board  of  [British]  Scientific  Societies  concurred  in 
also  by  the  [British]  Institution  of  Electrical  Engineers: 

I.  (a)  The  British  system  of  weights  and  measures  should  be  retained 
in  general  use  in  the  United  Kingdom  except  as  modified  by  II. 

(6)  No  modifications  of  existing  units  nor  any  new  units  should  bo 
established. 

II  (a)  The  British  system  should  be  simplified  by  the  abolition  of  all 
denominations  except  the  inch,  foot,  yard,  mile;  grain,  ounce,  pound 
(avoirdupois);  cwt.,  ton;  pint;  gallon;  acre.  (We  have  reinstated  the 
grain  because  in  some  trades  a  smaller  weight  than  a  quarter  of  an  ounce 
is  necessary.) 

(6)  It  would  be  very  desirable,  further  to  extend  the  use  of  the 
cental  instead  of  the  cwt.,  and  the  short  ton  (2,000  Ibs.)  in  place  of  the 
long  ton  (2,240  Ibs.). 

III  The  alternative  use  of  the  Metric  System  in  statistics  and  on 
maps  is  recommended. 

IV  In  the  use  of  the  Metric  System  the  names  of  intermediate  multi- 
ples and  sub-divisions  should  be  expressed  in  meters  and  millimeters. 

W.  B.  Cowles,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer,  Long- Arm  System 
Company: 

I  don't  want  any  physicist  or  any  professor  or  any  astronomer  or 
astrologer  from  the  skies1  to  tell  me  what  will  go  on  in  my  works.  I 
will  tell  them.  I  don't  want  any  government  official  or  any  subofficial 
from  our  new  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor  to  tell  me  what  it 
will  cost  me.  I  will  tell  them.  I  don't  propose  for  a  moment  to  admit 
that  the  physicist,  the  scientist,  and  the  astronomer  can  tell  me  any- 
thing about  my  business,  because  they  don't  know.  And  I  regard  it 
as  an  insult  as  it  would  be  for  me  to  go  and  dictate  to  them  about  their 
astronomy  or  their  particular  science. 

Samuel  S.  Dale  (Before  Committee  on  Coinage,  Weights  and 
Measures,  Mar.  1,  1906): 

The  Chairman:  Do  you  believe  it  is  worth  while  to  try  to  unify  our 
weights  and  measures? 

Mr.  Dale:  Yes. 

The  Chairman:  Along  what  line? 

Mr.  Dale:  My  advice  is  to  drop  the  Littauer  bill  because  it  is  calcu- 
lated to  create  diversity.  Print  John  Quincy  Adams's  report  on  the 
metric  system  for  general  distribution.  Investigate  the  facts  regarding 
weights  and  measures  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Seek  unification  by 
eliminating  unnecessary  units  instead  of  adding  new  ones.  Make  no 

1  The  author  of  this  quotation  might  now  add  gem  expert  or  wholesale 
grocer. 


;  APPENDIX  I  161 

important  change  without  consultation  with  other  English-speaking 
countries.  This  is  not  a  domestic  question.  Congress  and  the  Presi- 
dent have  the  power,  but  they  have  no  right,  to  adopt  any  new  policy 
in  the  control  of  our  weights  and  measures  without  consultation  with 
and  the  concurrence  of  the  British  Empire. 

H.  L.  Des  Anges,  Superintendent,  Floating  Equipment,  Long 
Island  Rail  Road: 

My  experience  with  the  metric  system  dates  from  early  childhood 
and  first  school  training,  when  I  had  a  thorough  knowledge  of  it.  A 
change  from  the  present  system  of  measurement  in  my  mind  would  work 
great  hardship  on  the  common  run  of  engineers. 

Prof.  N.  F.  Dupuis,  M.  A.  F.  R.  S.  C.,  Dean  of  Practical  Science, 
Queen's  University,  Canada: 

No  one,  for  a  moment,  doubts  the  importance  of  science  as  an  element 
in  our  civilization  and  a  potent  force  In  the  modern  development  of  the 
world.  But  it  is  quite  possible  that  past  successes  have  somewhat 
turned  the  scientific  head,  and  that  the  scientist  may  overrate  his  ability 
to  regulate  advantageously  the  usages  of  the  manufacturing  and  com- 
mercial world. 

However,  this  may  be,  it  is  not  the  agriculturist,  or  the  manufacturer, 
or  the  merchant  that  clamors  for  a  change  to  the  metric  system.  But 
it  is  manifestly  the  scientist,  who  urges  on  the  legislator,  and  the  latter 
knowing  little  of  the  merits  of  any  system,  and  having  confidence  in 
the  wisdom  of  his  advisor,  and  being  quite  willing  to  be  credited  with 
the  appearance,  if  not  able  to  boast  the  reality  of  being  truly  scientific, 
is  too  often  ready  to  impose  upon  the  people  some  new  and  radical 
idea  proceeding  from  the  fertile  scientific  brain  without  due  consideration 
as  to  where  it  may  lead. 

Rear  Admiral  Earle,  Chief  of  Bureau  of  Ordnance,  U.  S.  Navy: 

I  wish  to  say  that  the  Bureau  of  Ordnance  of  the  Navy  has  never 
used  the  metric  system  and  has  thus  far  come  across  no  difficulties 
which  cannot  be  just  as  easily  solved  by  the  present  system  of  weights 
and  measures  as  by  the  use  of  the  metric  system. 

In  view  of  the  tremendous  amount  of  ordnance  material  on  hand, 
all  fabricated  according  to  the  English  units,  I  hesitate  to  predict  the 
results  if  the  metric  system  was  forced  upon  us. 

(The  above  relates  to  the  suggestion  made  by  the  President  of  the 
American  Metric  Association  to  our  War  Department  when  we  entered 
the  great  War  that  then  was  the  time  to  adopt  the  metric  system  for 
our  military  equipment.) 

Engineering  Magazine: 

The  manufacturers  of  the  United  States  are  just  beginning  to  realize 

that  there  is  now  in  Congress  a  concerted  attempt,  originating,  it  is 

believed,  in  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  and  vigorously  seconded  by  the 

Chairman  of  the  House  Committee  on  Coinage,  Weights  and  Measures, 

11 


162  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

to  secure  the  enactment  of  legislation  leading  to  the  compulsory  adop- 
tion of  the  Metric  System  of  Weights  and  Measures  in  all  departments 
of  the  Government,  and  thence  into  the  entire  country. 

It  is  believed  that  such  meddling  paternalism  needs  only  to  be  widely 
known  to  be  effectively  checked;  and  hence  it  is  here  brought  to  the 
attention  of  those  most  nearly  concerned  in  order  to  arouse  them  to 
vigilance  which  is  the  price  of  liberty. 

Engine  Builders'  Association  of  the  United  States: 

We  believe,  if  the  metric  system  had  possessed  any  merit,  it  would 
have  come  into  use  long  ago,  not  by  force  of  law,  but  by  that  of  ex- 
pedience. .  .  .  Even  granting  all  the  merits  that  have  been  claimed 
for  it,  a  fair  statement  from  a  commercial  and  engineering  standpoint 
is  that  it  offers  no  marketable  improvement. 

Ericsson  Manufacturing  Company,  Manufacturers  of  the  Ber- 
ling  Magneto: 

Ten  years  ago  we  used  the  metric  measures  in  this  plant  exclusively, 
but  owing  to  inability  to  get  American  mechanics  who  could  use  the 
metric  system,  we  found  it  necessary  to  shift  to  the  English  measures 
and  they  are  now  used  exclusively  by  us  both  for  our  product  for 
domestic  and  export  manufacture. 

H.  E.  Esterbrook,  U.  S.  Customs  Service,  Port  at  New  York: 

I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  as  customs  officers 
throughout  the  United  States  we  have  to  deal  with  this  so-called  tariff 
act  of  July  24,  1897.  If  your  refer  to  that  tariff  act  you  will  find  the 
units,  pounds,  square  yards,  tons,  and  feet.  Now,  if  you  enact  this  bill 
it  is  necessarily  going  to  cause  confusion  unless  you  amend  your  tariff 
bill  to  accord  with  your  present  bill.  If  you  will  except  the  customs 
division  of  the  Government,  as  you  have  excepted  the  survey  of  the 
public  lands,  then  I  see  no  objection  to  your  bill,  but  I  can  see,  in  my 
mind,  great  confusion.  You  turn  to  the  cotton  schedule  of  this  tariff. 
The  duty  is  dependant  upon  the  weight  per  square  yard  and  the  cost 
per  square  yard  and  the  counts  to  the  square  inch. 

Now,  if  we  adopt  the  metric  system  you  upset  that  to  a  great  extent, 
which  would  make  it  complicated  and  confused,  and  the  result  will  be  un- 
told lawsuits  as  to  the  proper  construction  of  the  tariff. 

James  W.  Evans,  Metropolitan  Inspector  of  Weights  and 
Measures,  Sydney,  Australia: 

Fortunately  we  can  generally  rely  upon  the  common  sense  of  the 
representatives  of  the  people  in  the  various  Parliaments  to  resist  at- 
temps  to  force  upon  us  a  retrogade  measure.  Should  that  safeguard 
fail,  however,  it  is  easy  to  foresee  that  such  a  storm  would  be  raised, 
so  much  turmoil  would  be  created,  every  branch  of  trade  would  be  so 
disturbed,  that  practical  completion  of  the  movement  would  never  be 
accomplished. 


APPENDIX  I  163 

We  have  the  best  system  of  weights  and  measures  in  existence. 
It  is  suited  to  our  commercial  requirements,  long  practical  employment 
has  proved  its  value  for  all  trading  purposes,  it  is  part  of  our  language, 
and  ingrained  in  us.  Not  one  sufficiently  valid  ground  has  been  ad- 
vanced why  we  should  abandon  it  for  an  inferior  scheme,  and  every  high 
consideration  of  our  national  welfare  bids  us  to  "  hold  fast  to  that  which 
is  good,"  and  particularly  when  there  is  nothing  better  to  replace  it. 

Furniture  Association  of  America: 

WHEREAS,  A  bill  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  the 
departments  of  the  Federal  Government  has  been  reported  to  Congress 
with  recommendation  to  passage; 

WHEREAS,  Such  a  bill  can  have  but  one  of  two  results — the  creation 
of  a  special  system  of  government  weights  and  measures  on  the  one  hand, 
or  a  change  in  the  system  used  in  the  commerce  and  industries  of  the 
country  on  the  other; 

WHEREAS,  A  special  government  system  of  weights  and  measures 
would  be  as  absurd  as  a  special  government  system  of  currency,  and, 

WHEREAS,  A  change  in  the  weights  and  measures  used  by  the 
people  at  large,  can  only  be  accomplished  at  great  cost,  after  generations 
of  confusion  and  with  no  adequate  compensating  advantages,  therefore 
be  it 

RESOLVED,  By  the  Furniture  Association  of  America  in  convention 
assembled,  that  we  condemn  this  bill  as  wholly  mischievous  in  its 
tendencies. 

RESOLVED,  That  we  condemn  all  legislation  to  bring  about  a 
radical  change  in  our  system  of  weights  and  measures. 

Chas.  S.  Ginrich,  Cincinnati  Milling  Machine  Company: 

The  people  of  the  earth  who  trade — that  is,  a  majority  of  them — 
are  using  the  English  system  to-day,  so  that  the  logical  system  of  com- 
merce should  be  the  English  system.  But  I  want  to  bring  out  another 
point.  I  have  had  personal  experience  with  the  company  I  am  with 
in  dealing  with  foreign  nations,  and  we  are  to-day  sending  a  large  amount 
of  our  product  into  France  and  Italy.  They  do  not  ask  us  for  a  metric 
machine.  In  fact,  they  accept  machines  made  to  our  standards, 
and  they  have  gone  further  and  have  filed  with  us  a  standard  specifica- 
tion in  regard  to  arbors  which  states  that  all  arbors  going  with  machines 
must  be  made  to  English  measurements;  in  other  words,  they  want  the 
English  (or  American)  standard  arbor. 

E.  Sherman  Gould,  Civil  Engineer: 

Let  me  premise  by  saying  that  I  belong  to  the  class  which  perhaps  has 
the  best  right  to  form  and  express  an  opinion  on  the  subject,  having 
used  both  the  English  and  metric  systems  in  a  somewhat  extended 
engineering  practice  at  home  and  abroad,  beginning  with  my  education 
in  a  French  engineering  school. 


164  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

If  we  were  to  adopt  the  metric  system,  even  admitting  for  the  argu- 
ment that  it  is  better  than  ours,  we  would  not  find  our  work  of  measuring, 
recording  and  calculating  materially  lessened.  Long  calculations  would 
be  as  troublesome  and  as  liable  to  error  as  ever,  and  probably  the 
majority  of  people,  not  specialists  in  any  particular  art,  would  be  unable 
to  say  which  they  preferred,  after  a  fair  trial. 

F.  A.  Halsey,  Commissioner,  American  Institute  of  Weights 
and  Measures: 

The  humor  of  the  situation  is  that  whereas  at  the  beginning  of  the 
hearings  in  Washington  (before  the  House  Committee  on  Coinage, 
Weights  and  Measures)  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  was  urged 
because  it  would  better  adapt  our  manufactured  goods  to  the  needs  of 
foreign  customers,  the  conclusion  of  the  hearings  found  the  metricists 
fairly  falling  over  one  another  in  their  efforts  to  show  that  the  adoption 
of  the  system  would  make  no  change  in  these  goods. 

In  the  machine  shops  of  South  America — of  which  there  are  more  than 
most  people  realize — 39.3  per  cent,  of  the  machine  tools  are  American, 
43.2  per  cent,  are  British  and  the  remaining  17.5  per  cent,  are  German, 
Belgian  and  French.  We  are  always  told  that  South  America  is  metric, 
South  American  shops  have  the  world  from  which  to  buy,  and  they 
choose  machine  tools  made  to  English  over  those  made  to  metric  meas- 
ures in  the  ratio  of  nearly  5  to  1.  Moreover,  commercial  Germany  has 
long  been  splendidly  represented  in  South  America,  while  we  have 
never  been  and  Germany  has  had  ample  shipping  and  banking  facilities 
which  we  have  not. 

Another  illustration,  known  to  all,  is  found  in  the  vast  export  trade 
in  American  automobiles,  which  go  to,  and  are  equally  acceptable,  in 
all  countries,  metric  and  nonmetric  alike.  No  one  knows,  asks  or 
cares  to  what  system  of  measurements  their  parts  are  made,  and  the 
same  is  true  of  steam  engines,  mining,  agricultural  and  other  lines  of 
machinery. 

The  matter  is  as  broad  as  it  is  long.  If  our  goods  are  not  acceptable 
in  metric  countries  because  of  the  units  used  in  making  them,  metric 
goods  should  for  the  same  reason  be  unacceptable  here.  We  import 
vast  quantities  of  such  goods,  but  no  reader  of  these  pages  ever  heard 
the  question  raised.  We  buy  these  goods  without  thought  or  question 
regarding  the  system  of  measurements  used  in  their  construction. 

Willet  N.  Hayes,  Assistant  Secretary,  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture : 

The  bill  reads  "That  from  and  after  the  1st  of  July,  1908,  all  of  the 
Departments  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  in  the  transaction 
of  business  requiring  the  use  of  weight  and  measurement,  shall  employ 
and  use  the  weights  and  measures  of  the  metric  .system."  Now,  we 
would  like  to  know  just  what  those  words,  "in  the  transaction  of 
business,"  mean.  In  other  words,  would  it  affect  our  bulletins  that 


APPENDIX  I  165 

we  publish  and  send  out  to  the  people  of  this  country?  We  might 
as  well  go  out  of  business  if  we  tried  to  put  our  bulletins  in  the  metric 
system. 

H.  A.  Hazen,  Chief,  U.  S.  Weather  Bureau: 

The  metric  system  usually  carries  with  it  the  centigrade  scale  on  the 
thermometer,  and  here  the  whole  English-speaking  world  should  give 
no  uncertain  sound.  In  meteorology  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  worse 
scale  than  the  centigrade.  The  plea  that  we  must  have  just  100 
degrees  between  the  freezing  and  boiling  points  does  not  hold;  any 
convenient  number  of  degrees  would  do.  The  centigrade  degree  is 
just  twice  too  large  for  ordinary  studies.  The  worst  difficulty,  however, 
is  in  the  use  of  the  centigrade  scale  below  freezing.  Any  one  who  has 
had  to  study  figures  half  of  which  have  minus  signs  before  them  knows 
the  amount  of  labor  involved.  To  average  a  column  of  30  figures  half 
of  which  are  minus  takes  nearly  double  time  that  figures  all  on  one 
side  would  take,  and  the  liability  to  error  is  more  than  twice  as  great. 
I  have  found  scores  of  errors  in  foreign  publications  where  the  centi- 
grade scale  was  employed,  all  due  to  this  most  inconvenient  minus  sign. 
If  any  one  ever  gets  a  "bee  in  his  bonnet"  on  this  subject  and  desires 
to  make  the  change  on  general  principles  it  is  very  much  to  be  hoped 
that  he  will  write  down  a  column  of  30  figures  half  below  32°F.,  then 
convert  them  to  the  centigrade  scale,  and  try  to  average  them.  I 
am  sure  no  English  meteorologist  who  has  ever  used  the  centigrade 
scale  will  ever  desire  to  touch  it. 

Sir  John  Herschel: 

The  change,  if  we  make  it  must  be  complete  and  thorough.  And 
this  is  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  England  is  beyond  all  question  the 
nation  whose  commercial  relations,  both  internal  and  external,  are  the 
greatest  in  the  world,  and  that  the  British  system  of  measures  is  received 
and  used,  not  only  throughout  the  whole  British  Empire  but  throughout 
the  whole  North  American  continent,  and  (so  far  as  the  measure  of 
length  is  concerned)  also  throughout  the  Russian  Empire. 

Samuel  Higgins,  Mechanical  Superintendent,  Southern  Railway : 

Freight  cars,  as  you  know,  are  away  from  home  a  great  deal.  For 
instance,  a  car  belonging  to  the  Southern  Railroad  will  spend  a  great 
deal  of  its  time  on  other  lines.  The  object  of  having  standards  in  the 
construction  of  these  cars  is  to  facilitate  their  repairs  when  they  are 
away  from  home.  For  instance,  a  car  may  be  built  and  owned  by  a 
railroad  in  California  and  finds  its  way  over  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  car  inspector  going  over  that  car  in  Pennsylvania  will  find  something 
missing;  for  instance,  a  nut  is  lost  off  the  end  of  a  bolt.  All  he  has  to  do 
is  to  go  to  his  little  storeroom  and  he  will  find  some  standard  size  of 
nut  in  there  that  will  fit  that  bolt.  He  applies  the  nut  to  the  bolt  and 
the  car  goes  on  and  there  is  very  little  delay  to  freight. 

The  way  the  mechanical  railroad  men  look  at  this  matter  is  that 


166  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

the  use  of  the  metric  system  will  for  the  time,  at  least,  destroy  all 
present  existing  standards.  Some  men  will  argue  that  the  change  can  be 
made  quickly;  I  claim  that  it  will  take  at  least  a  century  to  bring  about 
these  changes,  and  I  base  that  upon  the  experience  in  France,  where  the 
metric  system  originated.  In  France  they  still  use  our  system  for 
screw  threads.  They  use  it  in  Germany,  and  if  they  have  not  been 
able  to  bring  about  a  complete  change  in  one  hundred  years  I  do  not 
see  how  we  can  expect  to  do  it. 

J.  E.  Hilgard,  Assistant,  U.  S.  Coast  Survey.  From  an  official 
communication  to  the  Superintendent  of  the  Coast  Survey: 

It  is  indeed  difficult  to  see  how  an  obligatory  statute  could  be  executed 
in  this  country.  We  would  hardly  undertake  to  suppress  the  use  of  the 
inch,  pound,  and  gallon  by  penalties,  as  has  been  done  under  the  parent- 
ally despotic  governments  of  Europe,  where,  as  in  Prussia,  fine  and 
imprisonment  followed  the  possession  of  the  old  standard. 

Not  only  are  lands  purchased  from  the  public  domain  described 
in  a  simple  decimal  system  of  acres  measured  by  square  chains  and 
decimals,  but  all  the  most  valuable  real  estate,  such  as  lots  and  streets 
in  cities,  has  been  laid  off  in  this  country  in  even  feet,  generally  even  tens 
of  feet,  as  50,  60,  80,  100,  150,  etc.  What  adequate  motive  is  there  to 
change  these  expressions  into  terms  which  are  necessarily  fractional, 
and  in  which  those  foreign  nations  whose  convenience  it  is  proposed 
to  meet  have  no  conceivable  interest?  What  useful  purpose  is  sub- 
served by  designating  a  building  lot  24  by  120  feet  in  the  form  of  7.315 
by  36.576  meters? 

Sir  Joseph  Hooker: 

The  complaint  of  horticulturists  and  gardeners  concerning  the  Centi- 
grade thermometric  scale  is 

1.  That  the  degrees  are  too  large  for  their  purpose,  requiring  the 
use  of  fractions. 

2.  That  in  a  climate  where  for  so  many  months  the  temperature  hovers 
about  the  freezing  point,  the  frequent  necessity  of  the  plus  and  minus 
signs  is  a  great  inconvenience. 

Walter  Renton  Ingalls,  President,  Mining  &  Metallurgical 
Society  of  America,  President,  American  Institute  of  Weighty  and 
Measures : 

From  a  project  that  would  manifestly  put  the  weights  and  measures 
of  the  greatest  industrial  nations  in  the  world  at  sixes  and  sevens,  it 
must  be  evident  that  the  result  would  be  more  discord  instead  of  more 
uniformity. 

In  laboratory  work,  I  use  grammes  and  cubic  centimeters,  or  kilo- 
grammes and  litres  both  out  of  convenience  and  out  of  early  habit  in 
common  with  that  of  most  chemists. 

•  In  the  railway  business,  it  is  well-known  that  the  passenger  and  freight 
schedules  which  fill  great  volumes  are  based  on  cents  per  mile,  and  cents 


APPENDIX  I  167 

per  100  pounds.  The  railways  have  complained  over  the  great  expense 
involved  in  making  alterations  for  the  purposes  of  the  Interstate  Com- 
merce Commission.  What  would  it  be  if  the  entire  fabric  had  to  be  torn 
apart  and  re  woven  in  order  to  please  the  advocates  of  the  metric  system? 

Consider  what  we  do  when  we  get  a  drawing  of  a  French  construction, 
let  us  say  a  metallurgical  furnace,  to  build  in  this  country.  The  first 
thing  that  has  to  be  done  is  to  redraw  it,  not  for  the  reason  that  it  is 
expressed  in  metric  measurements,  but  for  the  reason  that  it  calls  for 
constituent  parts  of  sizes  that  are  not  obtainable  here. 

We  have  volumes  of  tables  of  figures  devoted  to  the  properties  of 
structural  steel.  Similarly,  as  to  mechanics,  hydraulics,  surveying,  in 
brief  all  the  branches  of  engineering.  With  the  metric  system,  these 
would  be  all  but  useless. 

Considering  the  Indo-European  race  alone,  there  is  a  much  larger 
population  that  does  not  use  the  metric  system  than  does,  and  their 
nations  are  far  superior  in  industrial  development,  measured  by  iron 
production,  let  us  say,  to  all  other  nations  combined. 

With  respect  to  confusion,  the  skirts  of  the  metric  system  are  not 
clean.  As  a  statistician  of  nearly  thirty  years'  experience,  I  may  say  that 
I  have  fallen  into  more  errors  over  the  zentners  and  doppelzentners 
of  metric  Germany,  and  the  quintals  and  metric  quintals  of  Chile,  than 
I  have  over  the  pounds  of  England  and  America. 

All  of  our  systems,  including  the  metric,  are  undergoing  evolution, 
conforming  to  the  requirements  and  practices  of  people,  generally  in 
the  direction  of  simplicity.  Most  of  the  old  English  measures  to  which 
the  metricists  point  with  such  scorn  are  obsolete.  Nobody  hears  now- 
a-days  of  the  coomb,  the  pottle,  the  chaldron,  the  palm  or  the  barley- 
corn. The  perch,  the  puncheon,  the  span,  the  tierce  and  the  toise  are 
all  but  forgotten.  Even  the  furlong,  the  gill  and  the  rod  are 
disappearing. 

I  remember  the  time  when  I  was  in  favor  of  its  adoption  in  the 
United  States,  and  it  was  not  until  I  studied  the  matter  more  carefully 
that  I  changed  my  mind. 

Iron  Age: 

Certainly  no  news  from  the  United  States  could  give  much  greater 
joy  in  Berlin  than  that  this  country  had  decided  to  use  from  now  on 
nothing  but  the  metric  system  in  manufacturing  its  military  equip- 
ment. Probably  the  suggestion  shows  nothing  more  than  ignorance 
of  the  complications  of  manufacturing,  and  ignorance  of  the  disastrous 
effect  of  a  wholesale  change  in  shop  standards. 

(The  above  relates  to  the  suggestion  made  by  the  President  of  the 
American  Metric  Association  to  our  War  Department  when  we  entered 
the  great  War  that  then  was  the  time  to  adopt  the  metric  system  for 
our  military  equipment.) 

K.  E.  Keller,  Vice-President,  Westinghouse  Machine  Company: 
I  understand  that  the  compulsory  metric  bill  is  now  under  considera- 
tion by  your  committee.     We  again  wish  to  place  ourselves  on  record 


168  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

with  you  as  being  unalterably  opposed  to  this  bill.  We  believe  that 
such  a  law  would  cause  most  unjust  and  unreasonable  loss  to  manu- 
facturers, due  to  the  enormous  cost  of  changing  drawings,  patterns, 
tools,  and  equipment,  to  say  nothing  of  the  infinite  loss  in  business 
while  such  changes  were  in  process.  It  would  be  a  sad  commentary 
on  the  intelligence  of  our  legislators  in  Congress  to  permit  a  few  scientists 
and  misguided  parties  to  bring  about  a  compulsory  metric  system  that 
would  be  forced  upon  manufacturers  where  the  cost  would  be  so  great 
and  the  benefits  almost  entirely  negligible. 

Dean  William  Kent,  Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering, 
Syracuse  University: 

I  wish  to  touch  only  one  phase,  which  has  probably  not  been  considered 
to  any  great  extent  by  the  men  who  have  hitherto  appeared  before  the 
committee.  I  refer  to  the  inconceivable  magnitude  of  the  task  of 
wiping  out  or  translating  into  metric  measures  the  English  literature 
based  on  the  English  inch  and  foot,  and  the  enormous  number  of 
records  in  manufacturing  establishments  based  on  the  English  measure- 
ments. 

The  big  job,  however,  would  be  to  produce  the  literature  of  the 
transition  period.  It  would  include,  in  the  tables  of  beams,  for  instance, 
all  the  existing  standard  sizes,  in  even  inches  of  depth,  with  their  cor- 
responding metric  equivalents  to  the  nearest  tenth  of  a  millimeter,  to- 
gether with  the  dimensions,  both  English  and  French,  of  length,  breadth 
of  flange,  and  thickness  of  web,  the  weight  per  yard  and  per  meter  in 
pounds  and  kilograms,  and  the  coefficients  for  computing  strength  in 
both  systems.  Besides  this,  there  would  have  to  be  new  tables  of  the 
new  sizes,  20  to  600  millimeters  in  metric  measures,  and  their  English 
equivalents. 

During  the  transition  period  the  mechanical  articles  in  the  Encyclo- 
pedia Britannica,  and  all  other  cyclopedias  and  other  works  of  general 
reference,  would  have  to  be  printed  in  the  transition  language,  otherwise 
they  would  not  be  readable  to  the  people  of  the  period.  When  the 
reform  (?)  was  at  last  accomplished  they  would  have  to  be  reprinted 
again,  making  them  altogether  metric,  and  then  the  old  books  would  all 
find  their  way  to  the  paper  mill. 

The  engineers'  pocketbooks  would  also  have  to  be  reprinted  in  the 
transition  language,  and  then  many  years  later  completely  metricised. 
Every  present  owner  of  one  of  these  pocketbooks,  if  the  metric  system 
is  coming  very  soon,  would  have  to  provide  himself  with  both  of  the 
new  books,  and  the  transition  book  would  be  half  as  large  again  as  the 
present  book,  and  of  course  would  sell  at  a  higher  price. 

Even  if  the  metric  system  were  far  superior  to  the  English  system, 
which  it  is  not,  and  even  if  it  were  possible  to  enforce  it  by  compulsory 
legislation,  which  it  is  not,  the  enormous  cost  of  introducing  it,  the  vast 
trouble  and  confusion  it  would  cause  during  the  transition  period  for 
at  least  two  generations,  the  abandonment  of  our  mechanical  standards, 
upon  which  are  based  the  present  system  of  interchangeability  of  parts 


APPENDIX  I  169 

of  manufactured  articles,  the  making  worthless  of  the  greater  portion 
of  our  technical  literature,  make  the  price  too  great  to  pay  for  any 
advantage,  real  or  supposed,  of  the  metric  system. 

B.  G.  Lamme,  Chief  Engineer,  Westinghouse  Electric  & 
Manufacturing  Company: 

I  am  satisfied  that  probably  90  per  cent,  or  more  of  the  calculations 
in  our  engineering  department  would  not  be  simplified  or  materially 
affected  by  the  use  of  the  metric  system.  It  would  be  a  mistake  to 
change  to  the  metric  system  in  our  engineering  department  until  such 
system  is  adopted  as  standard  in  our  manufacturing  departments.  To 
change  the  system  a  little  at  a  time  would  lead  to  serious  confusion. 

Henry  M.  Leland,  President,  Lincoln  Motor  Company,  Past 
President,  Society  of  Automobile  Engineers: 

Any  change  to  the  metric  system  in  the  manufacture  of  these  (the 
Liberty)  motors  would  involve  difficulties  and  delays  so  serious  as  to 
border  on  disaster. 

(The  above  relates  to  the  suggestion  made  by  the  President  of  the 
American  Metric  Association  to  bur  War  Department  when  we  entered 
the  great  War  that  then  was  the  time  to  adopt  the  metric  system  for 
our  military  equipment.  Mr.  Leland's  company  produced  6000  Liberty 
motors.) 

Library  Bureau: 

Our  draftsmen  and  mechanics  failed  to  make  any  attempt  to  familiarize 
themselves  with  the  metric  system,  but  simply  translated  the  metric 
dimensions  into  English  inches  or  fractions  thereof,  and  worked  ac- 
cordingly. I  do  recall,  however,  having  known  one  man  connected 
with  the  Library  Bureau  in  former  days  who  was  inclined  to  brag  that 
he  had  mastered  the  metric  system  sufficiently  so  that  he  could  actually 
think  in  it  as  well  as  he  could  in  feet  and  inches,  but  I  take  it  that  his 
was  a  very  rare  case. 

(The  Library  Bureau  abandoned  the  system  after  giving  it  a  trial 
of  more  than  thirty  years'  duration.) 

J.  H.  Linnard,  Naval  Constructor,  U.  S.  Navy: 

I  may  say  that  I  am  not  unfamiliar  with  the  metric  system.  The 
Government  sent  me  abroad  for  four  years  to  study  in  France,  that  is  to 
learn  my  profession  as  a  naval  architect.  I  spent  four  years  in  the 
French  government  schools.  Necessarily,  my  studies  were  carried  on  in 
the  French  language  and  with  the  French  system  of  measures.  I  have 
a  certificate  as  a  French  naval  architect  from  the  French  government 
schools. 

As  far  as  calculations  in  the  matter  of  shipbuilding  are  concerned, 
it  is  just  as  convenient  in  every  way,  shape  and  form  to  use  English 
measurements  as  French. 


170  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

William  Lodge,  President,  the  Lodge  and  Shipley  Machine  Tool 
Company: 

This  (the  direct  cost),  however,  would  be  only  a  small  part  of  the  result- 
ing confusion,  by  reason  of  our  being  absolutely  obliged  to  continue  the 
present  system  for  all  product  that  has  been  shipped  to  date,  and  which 
is  liable  to  be  in  use  in  many  cases  up  to  50  years  from  date.  The 
advantage  to  be  obtaind  seems  to  us  to  be  so  trifling  that  we  should  put 
it  at  a  very  low  figure  indeed. 

Hon.  David  Lloyd-George,  President,  British  Board  of  Trade : 
It  is  rather  significant  that  after  100  years  of  compulsory  metric 
measurement  the  Minister  of  Commerce  in  France  has  been  obliged  to 
appeal  to  traders  to  assist  him  in  carrying  out  the  law,  not  by  means  of 
compulsion,  but  by  means  of  inducing  traders  to  use  the  legal  standard. 
It  has  been  pointed  out  that  the  greater  proportion  of  our  foreign 
trade  is  with  non-metric  countries,  and  if  we  change  our  system  to 
the  metric  system  without  arranging  a  similar  change  in  our  Colonies, 
and  without  inducing  the  United  States  and  the  East  to  come  into  a 
general  arrangement,  we  should  deprive  ourselves  of  an  advantage 
which  we  have  at  the  present  moment  over  our  metric  competitors. 
I  know  it  is  said  that  we  lose  trade  in  the  metric  countries  at  the  present 
moment,  because  we  do  not  sell  on  a  metric  basis.  I  do  not  agree. 

Major  F.  A.  Mahan,  U.  S.  Army: 

Although  he  is  an  earnest  partisan  of  the  system,  which  he  has  used 
freely  for  thirty  years,  he  always  finds  difficulty  in  thinking  in  the 
system.  Stating  resistances  in  kilogrammes  per  square  centimeter 
conveys  no  meaning  to  his  mind;  it  is  necessary  to  convert  the  expression 
into  pounds  per  square  inch. 

(The  above  remarks  by  Major  Mahan  were  made  before  the  Socie"t6 
des  Ing6nieurs  Civils  de  France.  They  are  given  as  they  were  reported, 
in  the  third  person.) 

Manufacturers  of  the  Cincinnati  district  to  the  number  of  thirty : 

Of  the  millions  of  dollars  of  machine  tools  which  the  members  of  the 
Association  have  sold  to  France  and  Germany,  the  great  majority  have 
been  sold  without  request  or  suggestion  that  any  of  the  dimensions  be 
made  in  accordance  with  the  metric  system.  The  only  changes  that 
have  been  asked  for  have  been  in  occasional  measuring  and  adjusting 
screws.  In  view  of  this  experience  and  of  the  unexampled  growth  of 
the  export  trade  of  this  country  during  the  past  half-dozen  years  we 
cannot  see  any  need  of  changing  for  the  benefit  of  foreign  trade. 

We  believe  that  the  difficulties  of  the  change  have  been  ridiculously 
underestimated,  and  that  the  metric  system  offers  no  compensating 
advantages.  We  regard  the  whole  matter  as  a  shop  affair  exclusively, 
since  the  confusion  and  expense  must  be  borne  by  the  shops.  We 
therefore  regard  the  intrusion  of  those  who  have  no  pecuniary  interest 
in  shops,  as  unwarranted. 


APPENDIX  I  171 

A.  M.  Mattice,  Consulting  Engineer: 

The  relation  between  linear  measure  and  weight  applies  only  to  water, 
and  fresh  water,  not  to  salt  water;  not  to  ships. 

In  the  drafting  room  of  a  manufactory  the  draftsmen  are  always 
computing  weights  for  Balances,  strengths,  and  costs.  They  may  "use 
one  material  instead  of  another  on  account  of  weights.  Suppose  I  have 
a  rail  or  rod  of  iron,  and  its  area  is  8  square  inches.  What  is  its  weight 
per  yard?  An  inexperienced  man  would  multiply  by  the  weight  per 
cubic  inch,  and  finally  get  it.  But  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  bring  your 
decimal  point  one  place  to  the  right  and  you  have  it.  Ten  times  the 
area  of  cross  section  of  wrought  iron  is  the  weight  per  yard  in  pounds 
exactly.  It  is  not  an  approximation,  but  exact.  That  one  little  fact 
is  of  more  importance  to  the  metal  manufacturers  of  this  country  than 
the  relation  between  the  meter  and  the  volume  of  fresh  water,  because 
it  is  being  used  by  hundreds  where  the  other  is  being  used  by  one  person. 

Walter  M.  McFarland,  Acting  Vice-President,  Westinghouse 
Electric  and  Manufacturing  Company: 

Having  approached  the  subject  originally  with  an  inclination  for 
the  metric  system,  after  repeated  conferences  with  progressive  engineers 
and  manufacturers,  I  cannot  see  where,  for  our  business,  there  would 
be  any  advantage  whatever  in  the  adoption  of  the  system.  Meanwhile, 
the  cost  of  making  the  change  would  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  million 
dollars. 

It  is  too  often  forgotten,  when  referring  to  the  logical  relation  between 
the  units  of  weight  and  length,  that  while  the  unit  of  weight  is  that  of  a 
cubic  decimeter  of  water,  which  would  enable  us  immediately  to  get  the 
weight  of  any  volume  of  water  by  simply  expressing  it  in  cubic  deci- 
meters, in  the  vast  majority  of  engineering  calculations  we  do  not  deal 
with  the  weight  of  water  at  all,  but  with  the  weight  of  other  substances 
whose  specific  gravity  is  represented  by  an  irregular  number.  The 
result  is  that  in  the  metric  system  the  cubic  contents  have  to  be  mul- 
tiplied by  this  number  to  get  the  weight,  which  is  exactly  what  is  done 
when,  in  the  English  system,  the  cubic  contents  are  expressed  in  cubic 
feet  or  cubic  inches.  The  multipliers  are  just  as  simple  in  the  latter  case. 

Study  of  the  printed  testimony  before  the  committee  shows  that, 
with  few  exceptions,  those  who  advocate  the  adoption  of  the  metric 
system  are  men  who  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  making  things, 
but  only  measuring  them  after  they  are  made. 

Manufacturers  do  not  object  to  anybody  using  the  metric  system  who 
finds  it  more  convenient.  We  do  object  most  strongly,  however, 
to  having  chemists,  astronomers,  and  others,1  who  know  absolutely 
nothing  of  the  details  of  manufacturing,  try  to  dictate  to  us  how  to  run 
our  business. 

The  claim  is  made  that  we  now  have  a  great  confusion  of  units  and 
ratios,  all  of  which  will  be  removed  by  adopting  the  metric  system. 

1  The  author  might  now  add  gem  experts  and  wholesale  grocers. 


172  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

To  this  the  answer  can  be  made  with  absolute  certainty  that  such 
will  not  be  the  case.  We  shall  simply  add  the  metric  units  to  the  others. 
This  has  been  the  history  of  France  and  Germany,  in  the  former  of 
which  the  metric  system  has  been  in  use  over  a  hundred  years. 

For  about  forty  years  it  has  been  legal  for  any  one  who  so  desires 
to  use  the  metric  system.  Why  has  it  made  so  little  progress  if  it  has 
such  advantages  as  its  friends  claim? 

Manufacturers  have  shown  again  and  again  that  they  are  ready  to 
abandon  old  methods  and  adopt  new  ones,  even  at  great  expense,  when 
there  is  some  benefit  in  doing  so. 

We  have  to-day  men  connected  with  our  company  who  have  been 
brought  up,  so  to  speak,  in  the  metric  system,  and  then  came  to  work  in 
the  English  measures,  afterwards  going  back  to  our  French  factory; 
yet  notwithstanding  their  early  training  these  men  have  found  it,  on 
account  of  the  possession  of  the  data  in  English  measure,  more  con- 
venient to  make  their  calculations  and  to  work  in  the  English  system. 
I  have  emphasized  these  things  to  show  why  the  reasons  ordinarily 
assigned  as  arguments  in  favor  of  the  greater  convenience  of  the  metric 
system  do  not  apply  in  manufacturing,  so  that  we  do  not  see  any  ad- 
vantage to  us  on  that  score. 

Col.  E.  D.  Meier,  President,  Heine  Safety  Boiler  Company, 
Past  President,  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers: 

Every  man  in  our  workshops,  from  the  superintendent  down  to  the 
rivet  boy,  is  used  to  thinking  in  feet  and  inches,  and  you  would  have  to 
make  him  over  again  before  he  could  get  used  to  figuring  in  a  foreign 
measure. 

Quartermaster  General  M.  C.  Meigs,  U.  S.  Navy.  From  an 
official  communication  to  the  Secretary  of  War: 

The  metric  system  is  not  a  convenient  one  for  common  use.  The 
true  scientific  natural  basis  of  the  metric  system  has  been  abandoned. 
The  meter  is  quite  as  arbitrary  and  unscientific  a  standard  as  the  foot  or 
yard,  and  its  compulsory  adoption  would  derange  the  titles  and  records 
of  every  farm  and  every  city  and  village  lot  in  the  United  States ;  would 
put  every  merchant,  farmer,  manufacturer,  and  mechanic  to  an  un- 
necessary expense  and  trouble,  and  all,  it  seems  to  me,  for  the  sake  of 
indulging  a  fancy  only,  and  a  baseless  fancy,  of  closet  philosophers 
and  mathematicians  for  a  scientific  basis  of  measures  and  weights  which 
is  not  what  if  professes  to  be. 

Rear  Admiral  Melville,  Chief  Engineer,  U.  S.  Navy: 
The  metric  system  is  entirely  academic.     It  is  a  perfect  system  for 
the  laboratory,  but  it  would  ruin  the  business  of  Great  Britain  and 
America.     We  had  better  attempt  to  adopt  a  universal  language. 

To  the  unprejudiced  person  the  public  testimony  must  have  shown 
with  unmistakable  clearness  that  the  scientific  men  were  not  actuated 
by  a  desire  to  ascertain  the  truth,  for  the  reason  that  after  indisputable 
facts  have  been  presented  by  competent  experts  as  to  the  enormous 


APPENDIX  I  173 

cost  and  inconvenience  of  making  SL  change,  they  continued  merrily  to 
assert  that  the  change  would  cause  little  inconvenience,  and  so  small 
a  cost  that  both  could  be  waved  aside. 

Spencer  Miller,  Chief  Engineer,  the  Lidgerwood  Manufacturing 
Company: 

Should  the  metric  system  be  adopted  as  the  standard  by  the  United 
States  government  the  utmost  confusion  would  prevail  for  a  long  period. 
.  .  .  The  confusion  incident  to  the  adoption  of  the  metric .  system 
by  our  Government  would  be  so  great  that  there  would  be  an  emphatic 
demand  for  the  repeal  of  the  law. 

National  Association  of  Machine  Tool  Builders : 

The  experience  of  Germany,  in  which  the  old  measures  are  still  in 
large  use,  has  shown  that  the  change  cannot  be  completed  even  after 
a  generation  of  confusion. 

The  sale  of  many  million  dollars'  worth  of  machine  tools  has  been 
made  abroad,  by  members  of  this  Association,  especially  to  France  and 
Germany,  without  requirement  or  request  by  the  purchasers  for  changes 
in  general  construction,  to  conform  to  metric  measurements,  the  only 
changes  being  in  adjusting  and  measuring  screws,  the  great  majority 
of  machines  needing  no  changes  whatever. 

The  adoption  of  the  metric  system  would  entail  an  enormous  first 
cost  of  new  equipment  to  conform  to  the  new  standards  and  a  con- 
stant increased  cost  in  the  maintenance  of  a  double  standard  for  re- 
pairs and  renewals,  and  a  consequent  increased  cost  of  the  product  to 
the  consumer. 

National  Association  of  Manufacturers : 

WHEREAS,  the  agitation  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system, 
has  been  again  revived  and  is  being  vigorously  conducted,  and, 

WHEREAS,  the  British  Committee  on  Commercial  and  Industrial 
Policy  after  the  War  has  made  an  exhaustive  analysis  of  this  question 
and  concludes  in  language  as  follows : 

"We  are  not  convinced  that  the  metric  system  is  upon  the 
whole  even  theoretically  superior  to  the  British  system,  and  we 
are  satisfied  that  the  practical  objections  to  the  proposed 
change  are  such  as  to  decisively  outweigh  any  advantages 
which  are  claimed  for  it." 

THEREFORE,  Be  it  resolved,  that  we  regard  the  agitation  for 
the  establishment  of  the  metric  system  as  particularly  untimely  because 
of  war  taxation  on  manufacture,  and  because  under  present  conditions 
the  overwhelming  activity  of  manufacturers  in  war  work  makes  proper 
consideration  of  such  a  subject  impossible. 

It  is  further  resolved,  that  we  endorse  the  work  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Weights  and  Measures  in  opposing  the  adoption  of  the 
metric  system. 


174  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

National  Metal  Trades  Association: 

WHEREAS,  The  renewed  agitation  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric 
system  has  reached  the  danger  point  and  called  into  being  the  American 
Institute  of  Weights  and  Measures  to  combat  it;  and 

WHEREAS,  The  National  Metal  Trades  Association  is  in  full  sym- 
pathy with  the  object  of  the  American  Institute  of  Weights  and 
Measures; 

RESOLVED,  That  the  Association  make  application  for  Association 
Membership  in  the  Institute; 

RESOLVED,  That  we  urge  all  our  members  to  lend  their  cooperation 
to  this  work  by  joining  the  Institute  as  Corporation  Members. 

Napoleon: 

The  merchants  and  citizens  found  themselves  perplexed  in  the  most 
ordinary  affairs;  this  contributed  still  more  to  making  unpopular  an 
administration  that  placed  itself  beyond  reach  of  the  people,  ignoring 
their  necessities,  breaking  violently  with  their  popular  customs,  like 
a  Greek  or  Tartar  conqueror,  who,  with  uplifted  rod,  exacts  unquestioning 
obedience  to  his  will,  which  he  allows  his  prejudices  and  his  selfish 
interests  to  control,  ignoring  those  of  the  vanquished. 

It  is  a  tormenting  of  the  people  for  mere  trifles. 

C.  P.  Patterson,  Superintendent  of  U.  S.  Coast  Survey.  From 
an  official  communication  to  the  Secretary  of  War: 

The  problem  of  a  change  of  the  kind  proposed  in  a  great  commercial, 
agricultural,  and  manufacturing  country  like  our  own  is  vastly  more 
difficult  than  it  would  be  in  nations  the  larger  portion  of  the  inhabitants 
of  which  deal  only  in  a  limited  manner  with  small  quantities.  This 
subject  has  been  a  matter  of  much  thought  to  myself  for  several  years, 
and  the  more  I  have  heard  it  discussed  the  more  convinced  I  have  be- 
come that  a  matter  so  grafted  into  the  daily  habit  and  thought  of  the 
whole  people  can  only  be  changed  by,  as  it  were,  the  slowest  absorption 
and  that  not  less  than  thirty-five  years  will  be  required  to  effect  even  a 
semblance  of  a  change. 

Some  enthusiasts  earnestly  believe,  taking  counsel  of  their  own  earnest- 
ness and  hopefulness,  that  a  complete  change  could  be  effected  through- 
out the  country  in,  say,  from  five  to  ten  years;  but  we  have  only  to 
remember  the  length  of  time  it  has  required  for  the  decimal  coinage, 
the  most  facile  of  all  standards  to  change,  to  obtain  universal  acceptance 
and  usage  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States.  In  some  places,  to  this  day, 
after  a  hundred  years  of  trial,  we  occasionally  hear  that  eight  shillings, 
or  six  shillings,  or  four  and  sixpence  "make  a  dollar;"  and  only  a  few 
years  since  we  heard  of  "picayunes"  and  "bits,"  which  respectively 
were  worth  6%  cents  and  12>£  cents. 

Charles  T.  Porter,  Past  President,  the  American  Society  of 
Mechanical  Engineers: 

But,  say  the  metricians,  we  want  uniformity.  Well,  in  the  English 
system  of  linear  measurement  we  have  uniformity.  It  presents  the  very 


APPENDIX  I  175 

ideal  of  uniformity.  Throughout  the  United  States  and  the  British 
Empire,  all  English-speaking  people  on  the  globe,  in  their  great  variety 
of  occupations,  every  man  who  measures  any  thing  for  any  purpose,  all 
employ  the  same  identical  system  of  measurement.  Its  great  practical 
excellence  has  compelled  its  universal  adoption  by  men  free  to  use  the 
metric  or  any  other  system  if  they  want  to,  and  with  the  same  freedom 
of  choice  this  excellence  will  make  its  use  universal. 

Potter's  Materia  Medica: 

Although  this  progress  is  aided  by  every  process  of  forcing  which 
scientific  bodies  can  bring  into  action,  with  all  the  influence  brought  to 
bear  in  its  favor  it  certainly  has  not  yet  been  adopted  by  any  consider- 
able proportion  of  native-born  and  home-educated  physicians  and 
pharmaceutists.  One  of  its  greatest  difficulties  for  the  physician  is  the 
want  of  fluid  denominations  below  the  milliliter  corresponding  with  the 
decigram,  centigram  and  milligram  of  the  weight  scale.  Its  chief  dis- 
advantage is  one  that  is  inherent  to  any  decimal  system — that  the 
number  ten  cannot  be  divided  more  than  once  by  any  integer  without 
producing  a  fraction. 

Providence  Association  of  Mechanical  Engineers: 

WHEREAS,  Renewed  attempts  are  being  made  to  bring  about  the 
adoption  of  the  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures  through  its 
enforced  use  in  the  departments  of  the  Federal  Government; 

WHEREAS,  We  regard  a  change  in  the  system  of  weights  and 
measures  used  by  the  people  at  large  to  be  practically  impossible,  thus 
making  a  change  by  the  government  alone,  uncalled  for,  therefore  be  it 

RESOLVED,  By  the  Providence  Association  of  Mechanical  Engineers, 
that  we  condemn  this  law  as  one  that  will  introduce  further  diversity 
and  confusion,  especially  affecting  linear  measures; 

RESOLVED,  That  we  regard  the  proposed  legislative  action  affect- 
ing our  established  system  of  weights  and  measures  as  unwise. 

Dr.  Jacques  W.  Redway,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  Geographer,  Metero- 
logical  Observer: 

In  1872-3,  while  working  in  a  laboratory  of  quantitative  analysis, 
I  came  in  contact  for  the  first  time  with  the  gram  and  its  subdivisions. 
During  a  period  of  student  work  covering  several  years,  practically  all 
my  determinations  were  made  in  grams  and  milligrams,  or  else  with 
burette  measurements  expressed  in  cubic  centimeters.  In  the  following 
five  or  six  years  I  made  a  special  study  of  the  metric  system.  The 
theory  was  so  logical  that  the  subject  became  extremely  fascinating. 
More  than  once  I  was  accused  of  having  a  fanatical  obsession  and  I 
must  confess  that  the  charge  was  not  without  truth.  During  this 
period  I  was  an  instructor  in  metallurgical  chemistry  in  a  university 
and  my  reputation  as  a  specialist  in  the  metric  system  had  grown  to  the 
extent  that  I  was  frequently  invited  to  address  audiences  on  the  subject. 
I  likewise  became  a  member  of  the  California  board  of  education  and 


176  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

in  this  capacity  was  an  important  factor  in  the  passage  of  a  state  law 
that  made  the  teaching  of  the  metric  system  compulsory. 

To  make  their  task  easier  I  gave  our  corps  of  teachers  a  course  of 
instruction,  at  the  same  time  providing  the  schools  with  the  various 
units.  At  the  end  of  three  years,  however,  it  was  the  concensus  of 
opinion  among  teachers  that  the  time  required  to  insure  a  reasonable 
proficiency  in  the  metric  system  was  about  equal  to  that  required  for  an 
equal  proficiency  in  the  English  weights  and  measures. 

In  time,  I  became  an  assayer  and  metallurgical  chemist — chiefly  in 
gold  and  silver  ores.  For  this  work  the  metric  system  lasted  about  one 
week.  Why?  Because  of  inconvenience  and  the  time  required  to  make 
the  arithmetical  reductions.  Thereafter,  a  miniature  ton  based  on  the 
number  of  Troy  ounces  in  a  ton  gave  me  the  exact  number  of  ounces 
of  metal  expressed  in  grains  and  decimal  subdivisions.  It  was  merely 
a  matter  of  convenient  magnitudes  and  least  amount  of  computation. 

After  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  in  laboratory  work,  I  use  practi- 
cally two  metric  units.  In  burette  measurements  the  cubic  centimeter 
is  well-nigh  indispensable — not  because  of  its  relation  to  the  metric 
system,  but  because  it  is  a  very  convenient  magnitude.  A  vacuum 
pump  the  gauge  of  which  expresses  the  degree  of  exhaustion  in  milli- 
meters is  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  many  laboratories,  but  the  milli- 
meter has  no  advantage  over  the  decimal  subdivision  of  an  inch  in  ex- 
pressing exhaustion;  indeed,  I  should  much  prefer  the  latter  unit  as 
more  convenient. 

And  here  is  the  crux  of  the  whole  matter.  The  units  and  subdivisions 
of  the  English  system  are  founded  on  convenience  and  they  continue 
in  use  because  they  are  convenient. 

When  a  unit  of  magnitude  has  ceased  to  be  useful  it  has  been  dropped 
from  use.  Such  terms  as  ell,  link,  barleycorn,  and  span  are  scarcely 
more  than  a  memory.  This  is  also  the  case  with  the  stone,  the 
drachm  (except  in  fluid  measurement),  the  Troy  pound,  the  scruple, 
and  the  quarter;  the  Troy  ounce  and  the  fluid  ounce  are  unknown 
outside  the  prescription  room.  Practically  the  only  ounce  that  ever 
comes  into  one's  life  is  the  one-sixteenth  part  of  a  pound  and  its  sub- 
divisions may  be  expressed  quite  as  readily  in  decimals  as  in  halves, 
or  in  quarters. 

Ever  since  human  beings  have  dwelt  upon  the  earth,  halves  and 
quarters,  and  not  tenths  and  hundredths  have  been  the  natural  bent 
of  the  human  mind. 

In  the  work  of  this  laboratory,  temperature  and  pressure  measure- 
ments enter  into  almost  every  sort  of  computation  and,  for  many  years, 
I  used  the  centigrade  scale.  In  the  course  of  time,  however,  making  and 
recording  temperature  observations  for  the  Weather  Bureau  became 
a  part  of  my  regular  work.  The  illusionment  of  the  centigrade  scale 
had  been  pleasant;  the  disillusionment  came  very  promptly,  and  in  a  very 
short  time.  I  resumed  the  use  of  the  Fahrenheit  scale  for  all  my  work. 
Why?  Simply  to  save  time.  The  unit  of  the  centigrade  scale  is  nearly 
double  that  of  the  Fahrenheit  scale  and  is  inconvenient,  In  order  to 


APPENDIX  I  177 

preserve  the  degree  of  accuracy  required,  an  additional  column  of 
figures  is  required.  Between  the  estimation  of  fractions  and  the  com- 
putation of  them,  the  work  of  thermometry  is  doubled. 

The  English  system  of  weights  and  measures  represents  the  evolution 
of  human  necessities.  Every  unit  and  its  subdivisions  was  born  of  a 
specific  requirement.  The  metric  system  is  purely  arbitrary;  and  if 
its  units  and  subdivisions  have  any  relation  to  human  needs,  the  relation 
is  purely  accidental.  One  querist  asks  the  very  pertinent  question — 
What  virtues  has  the  meter  that  the  yard  has  not?  The  answer  is, 
if  you  have  a  big  tank  of  water,  the  measurements  of  a  meter  stick 
reduced  to  cubic  decimeters  will  indicate  the  weight  of  the  water  in 
kilograms — provided,  of  course,  that  the  temperature  of  the  water  is 
reduced  to  4°C.  And  this  exhausts  the  list  of  advantages. 

In  the  metric  system  one  arbitrary  unit  has  been  created  with  the 
expectation  that  it  will  meet  all  demands.  This  unit  is  the  meter. 
It  is  assumed  to  be  the  ten-millionth  part  of  the  earth's  quadrant; 
but  it  is  not.  It  is  likewise  assumed  that  the  earth  is  an  oblate  spheroid; 
but  it  is  not.  It  is  assumed  that  the  standard  meter  rod  exactly  repre- 
sents the  calculated  meter;  but  it  does  not.  It  is  also  assumed  that  the 
kilogram  is  the  exact  weight  of  a  cubic  decimeter  of  water  under  given 
conditions;  but  it  is  not.  The  liter  is  assumed  to  be  a  cubic  decimeter; 
but  it  is  not.  Not  one  base  unit  of  this  "scientific"  system  conforms 
to  definition.  What  then,  is  the  basis  of  the  metric  system?  It  is 
merely  an  arbitrary  lineal  unit  that  stands  for  nothing. 

Let  us  see  some  of  the  consequences  of  an  enforced  adoption  of  the 
metric  system: 

1.  About  two  thousand  Weather  Bureau  stations  and  substations 
will  require  equipment,  and  the  instruments  do  not  now  exist.     This, 
however,  is  a  matter  that  may  be  overcome.     The  equipment  may  be 
purchased  in  Germany; 

2.  About  forty  million  school  books  will  be  needed  to  replace  those 
now  in  use.     Mathematical  and  geographic  texts  will  require  re-writing; 

3.  Lineal  measures,  weights,  weighing  scales,  and  measures  of  capac- 
ity for  the  needs  of  one  hundred  millions  of  people  would  be  required. 
They  are  not  now  in  existence; 

4.  By  far  the  most  important  factor  at  the  present  moment  is  the 
effect  that  a  change  of  systems  will  have  on  tools  of  precision  and  tool- 
making  machinery — lathes,  lathe  gears,  milling  machines  and  their 
accessories,  rules,  drills,  jigs,  gauges,  screw-thread  cutting  gears,  and 
similar  machinery  for  precise  work.    At  the  present  time  there  are  not 
enough  in  the  United  States  to  equip  a  single  shop.     Where  can  they  be 
had?    Well,  they  are  "made  in  Germany." 

We  are  now  entering  upon  the  greatest  struggle  for  humanity  that 
has  occurred  in  the  history  of  the  world.  We  are  in  dire  need  of  ships, 
of  guns,  of  small  arms,  and  of  the  munitions  of  war.  Six  million  tons 
of  shipping,  one  hundred  thousand  aeroplanes,  two  thousand  field 
guns  of  heavy  caliber,  one  million  stand  of  small  arms,  half  a  million 
projectiles  a  day  for  the  next  six  months  for  our  own  army,  and  one 
12 


178  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

million  a  day  for  our  Allies  are  needed  without  delay.  Famine  is 
shaking  its  spectral  finger  in  the  face  of  the  whole  world,  and  man-saving 
machinery  must  be  created  to  do  the  work  of  men  whose  lives  have  been 
the  price  of  our  salvation.  A  million  men  of  our  own  flesh  and  blood 
will  soon  be  in  the  field — targets  for  Hunnish  bullets. 

And  yet  in  this  fearful  crisis,  when  every  minute  of  delay  means  the 
sacrifice  of  brave  lives,  a  few  well-meaning  gentlemen  demand  that  all 
this  work  must  conform  to  a  discredited  unit  because  the  unit  is  theo- 
retically a  ten-millionth  part  of  the  earth's  quadrant. 

About  forty  years  have  elapsed  since  the  metric  system  was  legalized 
in  this  country,  and  about  forty  years  ago  instruction  in  the  subject 
was  made  compulsory.  At  the  end  of  four  decades,  the  metric  system 
in  this  country  survives  only  in  chemical  and  physical  laboratories. 
It  is  used  in  these  mainly  because  the  gram  weights  are  "made  in 
Germany."  Why,  oh  why,  in  this  crisis,  then  is  the  demand  made  for 
its  compulsory  use  of  the  metric  system?  Is  it,  too,  "made  in  Germany?" 
Certainly  nothing  that  could  occur  in  this  country  would  give  greater 
satisfaction  in  Berlin  than  its  enforced  adoption. 

(The  concluding  paragraphs  above  relate  to  the  suggestion  made 
by  the  President  of  the  American  Metric  Association  to  our  War 
Department  when  we  entered  the  Great  War  that  then  was  the 
time  to  adopt  the  metric  system  for  our  military  equipment.) 

A.  S.  Robinson,  Civil  Engineer: 

We  find  that  the  20  meter  station  already  makes  50  per  cent,  more 
work  over  the  American  system  on  the  level  notes  and  profile,  corres- 
pondingly increases  the  liability  to  error,  introduces  still  another  liability 
to  error  in  figuring  grades,  and  presents  no  improvement  over  the 
American  system. 

In  running  curves  by  deflection  angles,"fractional  stations  fall  more 
frequently  on  even  feet  than  on  even  meters,  and  therefore  the  engineer 
has  more  "trouble  with  those  annoying  and  distracting  decimals  of  a 
degree"  in  the  metric  than  in  the  foot  system. 

(This  quotation  refers  to  railroad  surveying  in  Mexico.) 
Dr.  Coleman  Sellers,  Consulting  Engineer: 

By  changing  our  unit  of  lineal  measure  for  the  sake  of  uniformity 
with  France  we  should  sever  our  uniformity  with  Great  Britain,  a 
country  with  which  three-fifths  of  our  foreign  commerce  is  transacted. 

If  new  weights  and  measures  are  to  be  adopted  all  the  scale  beams 
in  the  country  must  be  regraduated  and  readjusted;  the  thousands  of 
tons  of  brass  weights,  the  myriads  of  gallon,  quart,  and  pint  measures, 
and  of  bushels,  half  bushels,  and  peck  measures,  and  every  measuring 
rule  and  rod  of  every  description  throughout  the  land  must  be  thrown 
aside,  and  others,  must  be  substituted. 

The  great  mass  of  English  technical  literature  would  become  almost 
useless  and  must  be  translated  from  a  language  which  we,  and  the  nation 


APPENDIX  I  179 

we  have  most  to  do  with,  understand  perfectly  into  a  new  tongue  which 
is  strange  to  most  of  our  people. 

The  measurements  of  every  plot  of  ground  in  the  United  States 
have  been  made  in  acres,  feet,  and  inches,  and  are  publicly  recorded 
with  the  titles  to  the  land  according  to  the  record  system  peculiar  to 
this  country.  Hundreds  of  years  would  elapse  before  we  could  permit 
ourselves  to  forget  these  old  measures. 

Coleman  Sellers,  Jr.,  President,  Wm.  Sellers  &  Company: 
Our  experience  of  over  forty  years'  use  of  the  French  metric  system 
in  one  of  our  departments  has  shown  us  no  superiorty,  for  shop  pur- 
poses, of  that  system  over  the  English,  and  we  have  not  been  encouraged 
to  extend  its  use.  Did  it  possess  practical  advantages  such  as  claimed, 
it  would  be  to  our  interest  to  use  it  throughout  our  works. 

William  Sellers,  President,  William  Sellers  &  Company: 

The  proposition  to  change  our  system  for  the  sole  object  of  conformity 
with  a  system  which  in  this  particular  has  not  even  been  accepted  in 
metric  countries,  is  absurd,  and  could  only  emanate  from  men  utterly 
ignorant  of  the  conditions  required,  and  of  the  necessary  apparatus  to 
fulfill  them. 

We  have  now  a  well-established  system,  not  only  for  the  form  of  every 
detail  of  these  indispensable  articles,  but  also  for  their  manufacture, 
so  that  the  parts  will  be  interchangeable.  We  have  attained  to  a  system 
superior  to  any  other  the  world  affords,  and  we  are  now  threatened 
with  a  law,  which,  if  adopted,  will  make  it  necessary  to  abandon  all 
that  we  have  accomplished,  and  to  what  end?  Not  that  there  is  any 
other  system  better  than  ours,  but  solely  that  we  may  conform  to 
another  system  of  metrology  which  does  not  lend  itself  to  such  con- 
structions, so  that  even  metrical  countries  have  only  succeeded  in 
introducing  confusion  after  a  century  of  effort  to  displace  our  system 
based  upon  the  inch. 

The  manufacturers,  as  a  rule,  do  not  talk  much.  They  manufacture; 
but  the  scientific  people,  who  are  purely  scientific,  think  they  know  what 
the  manufacturer  needs  a  great  deal  better  than  he  does  himself. 

William  Sellers  &  Company  who  have  been  in  export  trade 
60  years: 

Notwithstanding  the  large  volume  of  foreign  inquiry  we  receive,  so 
little  of  it  calls  for  adherence  to  the  metric  system  as  to  be  practically 
negligible. 

Henry  D.  Sharpe,  Treasurer,  Brown  &  Sharpe  Manufacturing 
Company: 

Mr.  Sharpe  gives  the  following  table  of  drawn  steel  shafting  as  an 
illustration  of  the  plan  of  the  metric  party,  that  we  continue  to  make 
things  to  present  sizes  but  measure  them  in  millimeters  or,  as  put  by 
the  Secretary  of  the  American  Metric  Association:  "Whatever  is 


180 


THE  METRIC  FALLACY 


manufactured  must  be  actually  the  same  size  or  weight  as  before. 
It  is  merely  a  matter  of  a  new  term  of  expression."  This  or  similar 
tables  apply  to  all  standardized  articles  of  manufacture. 


English, 
Inches 

Metric, 
Millimeters 

English, 
Inches 

Metric, 
Millimeters 

English, 
Inches 

Metric, 
Millimeters 

1 

25.4 

IH 

34.9250 

IH 

44.4500 

We 

26.9875 

m* 

36.5125 

1% 

46.0375 

IX 

28.575 

IY2            38.1000 

\% 

47.6250 

Itte 

30.1625 

We 

39.6875 

1% 

49.2125 

1M 

31.7500 

1% 

41.2750        2 

50.8000 

W6 

33.3375 

1% 

42.8625 

Society  of  Naval  Architects  and  Marine  Engineers : 

WHEREAS,  A  bill  for  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  the 
departments  of  the  Federal  Government  has  been  favorably  reported 
to  the  House  of  Representatives: 

WHEREAS,  We  consider  that  the  only  effect  of  such  a  law  will  be 
the  creation  of  a  government  metric  system  and  the  continuation  of  the 
existing  system  in  ordinary  trade  and  industry; 

WHEREAS,  The  confusion  resulting  from  such  a  condition  of  things 
would  be  intolerable; 

WHEREAS,  We  believe  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  of  weights 
and  measures  by  the  people  at  large  to  be  impracticable,  therefore  be  it 

RESOLVED,  By  the  Society  of  Naval  Architects  and  Marine 
Engineers,  assembled  in  annual  meeting,  that  we  condemn  all  legislation 
intended  to  promote  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  in  this  country. 

The  Solvay  Process  Company  whose  drawings  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  first  plant  came  from  Belgium  and  were 
in  the  metric  system: 

As  the  workmen  in  this  country  were  not  used  to  these  measures,  it 
became  necessary  to  translate  them  into  the  foot  and  inch  system. 
In  many  cases  this  was  done  by  using  40  inches  for  the  meter  which 
gave  even  inches.  We  have  stuck  to  the  foot  and  inch  for  measure- 
ments because  it  was  too  much  of  a  task  to  educate  all  of  our  workmen 
to  the  other  system. 

Ellis  Spear,  Commissioner  of  Patents;  from  an  official  com- 
munication to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior: 

The  history  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  affords  a  practical  illustration 
of  the  difficulty  of  substituting  one  system  of  land-measurement  for 
another.  It  is  'well  known  that  the  early  French  settlers  of  St.  Louis 
and  vicinity  laid  out  their  land  in  arpents.  Since  that  time,  the  ter- 
ritory has  passed  from  French  into  Spanish  hands,  and  from  Spanish 
to  our  own.  It  has  been  for  nearly  three  quarters  of  a  century  American 


APPENDIX  I  181 

soil.  The  French  settlers  have  become  merged  with  the  immigrants 
from  the  East  and  Europe  that  have  filled  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
Old  customs  have  disappeared,  and  the  few  lingering  reminders  of  French 
occupation  are  cherished  by  the  antiquarians  with  almost  as  much 
tenderness  as  if  they  were  relics  of  Assyria  or  Babylon.  But  to-day 
there  is  scarcely  a  piece  of  real  estate  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis  that 
is  not  measured  in  arpents.  It  is  so  advertised,  so  sold,  and  this  word 
lingers  in  the  speech  of  the  people,  and  the  area  it  indicates  lingers 
in  their  daily  transactions  with  a  tenacity  that  nothing  appears  to 
shake.  Now  there  is  nothing  in  the  arpent  which  makes  it  a  more  con- 
venient unit  of  measurement  for  land  than  the  acre.  But  its  retention 
under  the  circumstances  is  something  more  than  a  question  of  mere  habit 
or  use.  It  is  because  all  real  estate  transactions  are  matters  of  per- 
manent record,  and  permanent  records  are  only  changed  with  great 
difficulty.  To  change  them  involves  translations,  tedious  and  accurate 
computation,  the  discarding  of  original  records,  and  opens  the  door  to 
mistakes  and  fraud;  and  the  possibilities  of  these  are  without  end. 

For  a  little  district  of  a  few  square  miles  along  the  Mississippi 
River  now  substitute  the  area  of  our  nation  with  its  vast  estates,  its 
little  farms,  its  villages,  and  town  lots,  all  measured  by  acres,  its  great 
cities  in  which  ground  is  measured  minutely  down  to  fractions  of  an 
inch,  and  consider  the  vast  and  costly  records  in  which  the  titles  to  all 
this  property  is  set  forth.  Consider  the  area  of  our  Western  States 
and  Territories,  where  under  the  existing  Congressional  surveys 
the  divisions  into  townships,  sections,  quarter-sections,  etc.,  have 
become  not  only  matters  of  record  but  actually  enter  into  the  social 
and  political  life  of  the  people. 

If  three-quarters  of  a  century  have  done  so  little  to  obliterate  the 
system  of  land-measurement  at  St.  Louis  under  the  existing  circum- 
stances, what  period  would  be  required  to  change  the  present  received 
system  of  the  entire  country  to  the  one  proposed?  Left  to  the  operation 
of  natural  causes,  it  is  safe  to  say  it  would  never  be  done.  Were  there 
compensatory  advantages,  the  authority  of  government  might  be 
exerted  to  bring  about  such  a  change;  but  there  are  none.  Even  the 
facility  of  calculation  so  sought  for  disappears  in  view  of  the  long  array 
of  figures  and  fractions  necessary  in  translating  the  terms  of  one  system 
into  the  terms  of  the  other.  There  is  nothing  to  compensate  for  the 
hardship  and  the  danger  that  would  ensue  from  such  a  change. 

Herbert  Spencer: 

It  has  always  been  an  astonishing  thing  to  me  that  the  advocates  of 
decimalization  do  not  perceive  that  its  only  advantage  is  in  computation. 
In  every  other  process  it  is  a  detriment. 

Ten  thousand  persons  intend  to  make  twenty  million  persons  change 
their  habits.  The  ten  thousand  are  the  men  of  science  (by  no  means  all) , 
the  Chambers  of  Commerce,  and  the  leaders  of  some  Trade-Unions — 
leaders  only,  for  the  question  has  never  been  put  to  the  vote  of  the  mass. 
The  twenty  million  are  the  men  and  women  of  England,  with  those 


182  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

children  who  are  old  enough  to  be  sent  shopping.  Ten  thousand  is  an 
over-estimate  of  the  combined  bodies  who  are  forcing  on  the  Metric 
System,  and  twenty  millions  is  an  under-estimate  of  the  numbers  to  be 
coerced. 

And  this  is  to  be  done  among  a  people  who  say  they  are  self  governed ! 

What  has  happened  on  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange?  Are  the 
quotations  of  prices  in  dollars,  tenths,  and  cents?  Not  at  all.  They  are 
in  dollars,  halves,  quarters,  eights;  and  the  list  of  prices  of  American 
securities  in  England  shows  that  on  the  English  Stock  Exchange  quota- 
tions are  not  only  in  quarters  and  eights,  but  in  sixteenths  and  even 
thirty-seconds.  That  is  to  say,  the  decimal  divisions  of  the  dollar  are 
in  both  countries  absolutely  ignored,  and  the  division  into  parts  pro- 
duced by  halving,  re-halving,  and  again  halving  is  adopted. 

There  lies  before  me  an  imposing  list  of  the  countries  that  have  followed 
the  lead  of  France.  It  is  headed  " Progress  of  the  Metric  System. " 
It  might  fitly  have  been  headed  "[Progress  of  Bureaucratic  Coercion." 
When  fifty  years  after  its  nominal  establishment  in  France,  the  metric 
system  was  made  compulsory  it  was  not  because  those  who  had  to 
measure  out  commodities  over  the  counter  wished  to  use  it  but  because 
the  Government  commanded  them  to  do  so;  and  when  it  was  adopted 
in  Germany  under  the  Bismarckian  regime,  we  may  be  sure  that  the 
opinions  of  shopkeepers  were  not  asked.  Similarly  elsewhere,  its 
adoption  has  resulted  from  the  official  will  and  not  from  the  popular 
will. 

If  and  when,  within  ten  years  after  my  death,  a  Bill  shall  be 
introduced  into  Parliament  for  the  compulsory  adoption  of  the  metric 
system  of  weights  and  measures,  I  desire  that  my  pamphlet,  entitled 
"Against  the  Metric  System,"  shall  be  reprinted  and  that  such  re- 
printed pamphlet  shall  be  distributed  gratis,  and  at  the  expense  of  my 
estate,  among  members  of  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  shall  be 
put  on  sale  by  my  publishers  at  a  nominal  price. 

(The  last  paragraph  is  an  extract  from  Mr.  Spencer's  Will.) 

Standards  Committee  of  the  Society  of  Automotive  Engineers: 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Army  and  Navy  Departments  are  not 
both  in  favor  of  adopting  the  metric  system  and  further  in  view  of  the 
necessity  of  arriving  at  standards  that  will  mean  the  least  possible 
delay  in  the  production  of  airplane  parts,  this  division  recommends 
definitely  the  use  of  the  English  system  of  measurement  except  in 
isolated  cases,  such  as  spark  plug  threads  where  the  metric  system 
is  desirable  in  order  to  effect  interchangeability  with  some  well-estab- 
lished standard. 

(The  above  is  a  reply  to  the  suggestion  made  by  the  President 
of  the  American  Metric  Association  to  our  War  Department 
when  we  entered  the  great  War  that  then  was  the  time  to  adopt 
the  metric  system  for  our  military  equipment.  The  recom- 


APPENDIX  I  183 

mendation  of  the  Standards  Committee  was  adopted,  even  to 
the  extent  of  changing  the  dimensions  of  the  Caproni  airplane 
from  metric  to  English  figures,  but,  nevertheless,  Metric  News 
of  July  10,  1917,  published  by  the  American  Metric  Association, 
states  that:  "The  United  States  Government  are  using  the 
metric  system  almost  exclusively  in  the  manufacture  of  aero- 
planes.") 

Hon.  J.  C.  Stevenson,  Member  of  the  British  Parliament: 

I  am  told  that  in  Germany  they  have  adopted  it.  I  believe  that 
that  is  intended ;  but  what  was  their  position?  A  confusion  of  standards 
of  weights  and  measures,  which  must  be  got  rid  of  at  any  cost,  espe- 
cially to  carry  out  the  purpose  of  a  united  empire.  In  seventeen  states 
of  Germany  the  foot  is  of  sixteen  different  lengths. 

When  the  Bill  was  discussed  in  1863  and  1864,  Mr.  Ewart  and  the 
advocates  of  the  change  asserted  that  if  the  system  were  made  permissive, 
and  contracts  made  legal  in  it,  its  great  advantages  would  recommend 
themselves,  and  the  people  would  demand  a  compulsory  Bill.  These 
expectations  have  been  wholly  falsified.  There  is  less  movement  for 
the  metric  system  than  ever;  and  the  people  of  this  country  are  utterly 
careless  about  it. 

The  audacious  statement  is  made  that  "there  is  at  present  no  uni- 
formity whatever  in  the  weights  and  measures  at  present  in  use." 
On  the  contrary,  there  are  no  countries  in  the  world  which  are  further 
advanced  than  Great  Britian  and  the  English  speaking  nations  of  the 
world  in  this  respect.  All  our  measurements  are  absolutely  uniform, 
for  there  is  only  one  foot  and  inch  and  yard. 

I  maintain  that  these  difficulties  (in  foreign  trade)  have  been  enor- 
mously exaggerated  and,  moreover,  that  the  persons  on  whom  they  fall 
are  those  who  can  most  easily  overcome  them — to  whom  they  are  least 
a  difficulty.  Foreign  trade  is  in  wholesale  transactions;  goods  are 
imported  in  large  quantities  or  cargoes,  and  the  simple  arithmetical 
operation  necessary  for  converting  the  weight  is  done  only  once  for  the 
large  quantity — and  yet  to  save  trouble  to  the  merchant's  clerk  who 
makes  this  calculation,  all  the  shopkeepers  who  sell  the  articles  in  the 
minutest  detail,  and  their  customers  who  buy  the  smallest  quantities, 
are  to  be  perplexed  and  worried  by  the  compulsory  introduction  of 
utterly  unknown  and  unintelligible  ideas  into  the  concerns  of  their 
daily  life. 

H.  H.  Suplee,  Author,]Supplee's  Mechanical  Engineers'  Refer- 
ence Book: 

The  situation  in  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  to-day  is  abso- 
lutely different.  Industries  such  as  the  world  has  never  before  seen 
have  been  built  up,  and  have  sent  their  products  all  over  the  world. 
And  every  steel  section  rolled,  every  plate  turned  out,  and  every  wire 
drawn,  every  engine  and  dynamo  and  machine  tool,  every  pipe  and 


184  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

shaft  and  bolt  and  nut,  is  based  upon  the  inch  and  the  foot,  units  wholly 
incommensurate  with  the  metric  ones.  The  screw-threads  of  England 
and  America  are  standard  all  over  the  world,  and  they  are  wholly 
inconvertible  into  any  metric  expression  which  could  be  used  as  a  guide 
or  practically  reproduced  by  a  workman.  If  all  these  measurements 
must  be  changed  into  metric  equivalents  the  things  themselves  must 
be  changed;  to  believe  that  we  could  go  on  making  them  as  they  are 
now,  and  gauging  them  by  the  new  system  of  measurement,  is  to  cherish 
a  mischievous  delusion.  .  .  .  The  years  of  earnest  and  costly  effort, 
and  the  millions  of  dollars  spent  to  secure  interchangeability,  and 
standardization,  would  be  wrecked  and  marked  for  the  scrap  heap  by  the 
first  compulsory  legislation  enforcing  the  use  of  the  Metric  System  upon 
our  manufacturers.  And  it  would  take  more  than  fifty  years  of  endless 
confusion  and  double-standard  working  to  clear  the  deplorable  and 
expensive  wreckage  out  of  our  shops. 

Dr.  John  E.  Sweet,  Founder  and  Past  President  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers: 

The  men  who  deal  in  ideas  wish  to  dictate  to  the  men  who  deal  in 
things;  the  mathematician  wants  to  fix  things  for  his  convenience  at 
the  expense  of  the  convenience  of  the  workman,  while  there  are  one 
hundred  workmen  to  every  mathematician,  and  the  mathematician 
gains  nothing  in  money,  while  the  workmen  will  be  put  to  millions  of 
expense,  and  will  not  only  receive  no  benefit,  but  so  long  as  our  present 
books  exist,  and  so  long  as  things  now  made  endure  to  be  required,  the 
double  set  of  tools  must  exist;  and  every  one  reading  an  old  book  will 
have  to  translate  the  figures  to  comprehend  or  use  the  results." 

F.  W.  Taylor,  Founder  of  the  Taylor  System  of  Scientific 
Management,  Past  President  American  Society  of  Mechanical 
Engineers : 

The  fact  that  it  does  not  come  into  general  use  proves  that  it  cannot 
go  upon  its  merits. 

Let  every  man  have  it  if  he  wants  it,  but  let  no  set  of  men  be  forced 
to  use  it  merely  because  a  lot  of  scientific  men,  who  have  not  studied 
its  working  in  our  shops,  wish  to  arbitrarily  force  it  upon  us.  I  use 
it  myself.  But  for  every  time  that  I  use  it  once,  or  any  scientific  man 
uses  it  once,  every  machinist  in  the  United  States  bumps  up  against  it  a 
hundred  times  a  day  and  all  day  long.  The  inch,  half  inch,  quarter 
inch,  five-eighths,  thirteen-sixteenths,  three-fourths,  and  seven-eighths 
are  the  machinists'  property,  their  asset.  They  belong  to  the 
machinist,  and  for  his  use  they  are  vastly  more  convenient  and  simpler 
than  the  metric  millimeter  ever  could  be. 

Hon.  R.  W.  Thompson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy: 

It  may  be  assumed  that  a  more  general  intercourse  will  exist  between 

peoples  speaking  a  common  language  than  between  peoples  who  speak 

different  languages.     And  looking  at  the  present  geographical  extent  of 

the  countries  wherein  the  English  language  is  used,  and  the  importance 


APPENDIX  I  185 

of  their  commercial  intercourse,  and  also  its  future  importance,  as  com- 
pared with  any  other  of  the  spoken  languages,  at  a  period  not  at  all 
remote,  if  regarded  historically,  it  would  seem  to  be  of  doubtful  expe- 
diency to  separate  ourselves  from  what  is  now  common  in  weights 
and  measures  with  other  people  who  speak  our  language,  and  with 
whom  it  is  desirable  to  increase  rather  than  diminish  our  commercial 
intercourse.  Experience  would  indicate  that  we  should  hold  ourselves 
in  accord  with  them,  rather  than  adopt  other  standards,  however, 
theoretically  advantageous,  for  it  will  be  impossible  to  escape  many 
practical  disadvantages  if  our  standards  vary  from  theirs,  so  long  as 
our  intercourse  shall  continue. 

Henry  R.  Towne,  President  Yale  &  Towne  Manufacturing 
Company,  Past  President  American  Society  of  Mechanical 
Engineers : 

Originally  I  believed  that  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  would  be  a 
benefit  to  us  and  should  be  promoted.  I  held  that  opinion  for  a  good 
many  years,  during  which  I  had  no  occasion  to  study  the  subject  from 
a  practical  point  of  view  or  carefully.  Accident  led  me  to  take  it  up 
seriously  some  years  ago,  and  as  I  began  to  study  it  and  to  try  to  under- 
stand the  effect  of  the  proposed  change  on  the  country  my  opinion 
began  to  change,  and  the  more  I  have  studied  the  subject,  the  more 
convinced  I  am  that  for  this  country  to  change  from  the  English  base  to 
the  metric  would  be  a  national  misfortune. 

Since  1866  it  has  been  permissible,  under  the  laws  of  the  country, 
for  any  one  to  use  the  metric  system  if  he  pleases,  and  transactions 
based  upon  it  have  been  legal;  yet  the  mechanical  industries  of  the 
country  to-day  are  not  using  the  metric  system,  I  venture  to  say,  in 
one-tenth  of  1  per  cent,  of  their  operations.  If  there  was  this  alleged 
benefit  to  be  derived  from  it,  why  have  not  those  industries  voluntarily 
availed  of  it?  Instead,  they  have  rejected  it.  Surely  this  fact  is  proof 
that  the  change  is  not  needed  for  the  fostering  of  our  exports  trade. 

The  law  of  1866  entitles  all  who  prefer  the  metric  system  to  use  it. 
Let  them  be  content  with  the  liberty  of  choice  which  they  enjoy  without 
seeking  to  deprive  the  rest  of  us  who  think  otherwise  from  the  enjoy- 
ment of  an  equal  liberty. 

The  argument  to  change,  briefly  stated,  is  that  for  the  sake  of  getting 
international  unity  we  shall  sacrifice  national  unity  and  accept  internal 
and  national  confusion. 

No  other  country  has  it  (uniformity)  to-day,  and  no  country  has 
ever  had  it,  except  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain.  We  have 
uniformity  throughout  this  land.  You  ask  us  to  discard  it  and  to 
substitute  confusion.  We  ask  you  to  desist.  We  have  to-day,  barring 
the  measures  of  volume,  absolute  uniformity  throughout  the  United 
States  and  the  entire  British  Empire,  throughout  commercial  China, 
and  largely  throughout  Russia,  whereas  in  all  of  the  so-called  metric 
countries  the  old  units  still  persist,  and  in  most  of  them  the  measures 
used  by  the  people  are  not  metric  at  all. 


186  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

If  we  adopt  the  metric  system,  even  for  Government  use  only,  we 
thereby  destroy  our  present  unity  and  substitute  confusion.  We 
would  have  the  people  of  this  country  talking  one  language  and  the 
Government  of  the  people  talking  another  language  in  things  that 
vitally  concern  both. 

To-day  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other,  and  throughout  the 
whole  British  Empire,  we  have  an  absolute,  identical,  uniform  standard 
of  length.  The  thing  France  wanted,  the  thing  Germany  wanted  we 
have.  For  us  to  do  at  this  stage,  under  present  conditions  in  this 
country,  what  France  did  in  1801  and  Germany  in  1871,  is  to  reverse 
the  process  and  to  substitute  for  a  uniformity  of  standards,  which  they 
sought  to  obtain,  a  multiplicity  of  standards  where  we  have  already 
uniformity. 

I  was  in  the  city  of  Cologne,  in  Germany,  last  summer,  and  in  a 
hardware  shop  on  the  leading  street  there — I  happen  to  remember  the 
name,  Schmidt  &  Meldan — I  looked  at  what  we  could  call  a  2-foot 
rule,  which  is  there,  of  course,  the  meter.  On  one  side  was  the  meter 
and  millimeter,  on  the  other  feet  and  inches.  What  foot  and  inch? 
You  are  asked  that  question  over  the  counter.  Do  you  want  the 
Rhenish  inch  or  the  Westphalian  inch  or  the  Dresden  inch?  They  have 
three  foot  measures  in  use  in  that  one  locality,  together  with  the  meter. 

You  have  got  either  to  maintain  existing  absolute  sizes,  and  state  those 
sizes  in  metric  terms,  in  which  case  we  get  decimals  running  into  seven, 
eight,  nine,  or  even  ten  places,  some  of  them,  with  all  the  interminable 
array  of  figures  which  that  involves,  and  the  resulting  danger  of  error 
and  inaccuracy,  or  else,  to  get  the  full  advantage  of  the  metric  system, 
you  have  got  to  change  your  actual  sizes  into  the  nearest  equivalent 
in  metric  measurements.  But  when  you  have  done  the  latter,  you 
have  destroyed  all  of  your  existing  implements  of  measurements,  you 
have  made  it  impossible  for  work  to  interchange  between  old  and  new 
machines,  and  you  have  subjected  yourself  to  the  vast  expense  of  dupli- 
cating your  entire  equipment  of  gauges  and  special  tools. 

The  scientists  and  theorists,  in  the  goodness  of  their  hearts,  seem 
to  think  they  know  better  what  is  good  for  us  in  our  own  business  than 
we  know  for  ourselves. 

University  Convocation  of  the  State  of  New  York: 

CONSEQUENCES  OF  MAKING  THE  PROPOSED 
CHANGE 

1.  It  would  strike  out  from  the  English  language  every  word  and 
phrase  and  sentence  used  in  connection  with  our  present  units  of  weights 
and  measures,  and  would  impose  the  necessity  of  learning  a  new  language 
for  the  one  now  in  use : 

2.  It  would  blot  out  from  the  knowledge  of  the  nation  all  apprehen- 
sions of  distance,  and  area,  and  volume,  acquired  through  the  present 
units,  and  would  render  necessary  the  acquirement  of  similar  knowledge 
by  less  convenient  units,  having  different  relations  to  each  other,  and 
expressed  in  a  new  and  unknown  language: 


APPENDIX  I  187 

3.  It  would  extinguish  all  knowledge[of  money  values,  now  so  familiar 
to  the  entire  population  in  their  daily  purchases,  and  sales  and  barters, 
for  those  valuesrare  all  adjusted  with  reference  to  the  units  of  weights 
and  measures:  and 

4.  It  would  change  the  records  of  our  entire  landed  property,  re- 
quiring them  all  to  be  translated  into  a  new  and  foreign  language. 
Should  all  this  be  done  merely  to  change  one  standard  from  36  inches 
to  39.37   inches,    when    both  standards  are  determined,  substantially, 
in  the  same  manner? 

War  Department,  Office  of  Chief  of  Ordnance: 

Replying  to  your  letter  relative  to  the  use  of  the  metric  system  in 
the  manufacture  of  ordnance  material : 

It  was,  of  course,  immediately  found  that  the  English  and  metric 
systems  not  being  commensurate,  the  metric  dimensions  could  not  be 
accurately  transferred  to  the  drawings.  In  order  to  avoid  any  con- 
fusion on  this  point,  the  drawings  were  first  issued  with  metric  dimensions 
only.  It  was  found,  however,  that  in  the  shops  the  workmen  required 
the  English  units  and  the  drawings  have,  it  is  believed,  quite  generally 
been  changed  to  show  the  English  unit  with  the  metric.  This  is  the 
practice  now  followed  in  this  office  in  issuing  new  drawings. 

War  Department,  Watervliet  Arsenal: 

The  drawings  for  the  155  mm.  gun,  originally  in  metric  dimensions, 
were  translated  into  English  dimensions  by  the  Engineering  Bureau, 
of  the  Ordnance  Department.  Our  workmen  will  use  English  dimension 
micrometers. 

(The  above  relate  to  the  suggestion  made  by  the  President 
of  the  American  Metric  Association  to  the  War  Department 
when  we  entered  the  Great  War  that  then  was  the  time  to  adopt 
the  metric  system  for  our  military  equipment.) 

E.  0.  Way,  Chief  Inspector  of  Weights  and  Measures, 
Dominion  of  Canada: 

The  use  of  metric  weights  and  measures  in  Canada  is  practically  nil 
and  less  in  our  Quebec  Province  than  any  other. 

(The  above  in  reply  to  the  claim  made  by  the  World  Trade  Club 
that  "the  large  French  population  of  Canada  has  greatly  increased  the 
use  of  the  metric  system  there.") 

Dr.  William  C.  Wells,  Chief  Statistician  Pan  American  Union: 

It  would  be  unfortunate  if  the  answer  to  this  question  be  involved 
with  the  question  whether  or  not  American  industry  should  or  should 
not  change  from  the  English  to  the  metric  system.  Everyone  recog- 
nizes that  there  is  a  connection  in  the  matter  of  measure  between  our 
domestic  manufacture  and  the  export  trade  more  or  less  direct  but  it  is 
much  less  direct  than  is  ordinarily  believed.  Sometimes  the  measure 


188  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

counts,  and  sometimes  it  does  not.  The  list  where  measure  does  not 
count  or  scarcely  ever  acts  as  a  handicap  is  broader  than  potatoes, 
apples,  or  coal  oil.  Such  examples  are  padlocks,  watches,  clocks, 
sewing  machines,  typewriters,  cash  registers  and  the  like. 

The  problem,  however,  is  different  when  you  come  to  consider  the 
extent  to  which  English  measures,  have  penetrated  Latin  American 
countries.  This  extent  is  much  greater  than  the  advocates  of  the 
metric  measures  in  the  United  States  are  willing  to  admit. 

In  many  cases  the  penetration  of  the  English  measure  is  a  matter  of 
long  standing.  If  it  were  possible  for  lumber  manufacturers  to  put 
metric  measure  lumber  into  Latin  American  markets  it  might  prove 
to  their  advantage.  Then,  again,  it  might  not.  Where  American 
or  English  monoply  exists,  English  measures  are  received,  and  it  prob- 
ably would  not  be  wise  to  change. 

This  penetration  ....  is  particularly  in  evidence  in  Cuba  and 
Mexico.  In  Cuba  it  has  extended  to  a  remarkable  degree.  Even  the 
Cuban  statistical  publications  show  sugar  exports  in  pounds,  not  kilos. 
(And  note  that  according  to  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Standards, 
the  metric  system  is  " obligatory"  in  both  Cuba  and  Mexico. 

Willans  &  Robinson,  Rugby,  England: 

This  firm  was  for  many  years  cited  as  an  illustration  of  the  successful 
use  of  the  metric  system  in  an  English  machine  shop.  About  1906 
they  abandoned  the  use  of  the  system,  so  far  as  they  could,  after  it  had 
once  fastened  its  tentacles  upon  them,  and  in  explaining  the  reasons 
for  thus  abandoning  it,  they  say: 

We  are  satisfied,  after  a  long  practical  trial,  that  such  advantages 
as  are  to  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  the  metric  system  in  an  English 
machine  shop,  are  too  dearly  purchased  .  .  .  The  tenth  of  a  milli- 
meter is  of  no  use  to  anyone;  it  is  like  the  proverbial  goose,  "too 
much  for  one,  not  enough  for  two;"  consequently,  for  clearances  on 
our  metric  work  we  always  figured  up  the  drawings  in  thousandths  of 
an  inch. 

We  are  making  new  lines  of  work  to  the  English  dimensions,  and 
are  satisfied  that  the  adoption  of  the  metric  system  by  this  firm  has 
cost  us  a  great  deal  in  gauges  and  special  tools,  without  adequate 
return. 

J.  A.  Williamson,  Commissioner  of  the  Land  Office;  from  an 
official  communication  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior: 

The  system  now  in  use  in  surveying  and  subdividing  the  public 
lands,  with  the  modifications  that  have  been  suggested  by  experience, 
has  controlled  the  public-land  surveys  for  a  period  of  ninety  years. 
Under  it  some  seven  hundred  millions  of  acres,  lying  in  twenty-eight 
States  and  /Territories,  have  been  surveyed,  and  of  these  many  millions 
of  acres  remain  undisposed  of. 

The  modifications  which  would  necessarily  follow  the  adoption  of  the 
meter  in  place  of  the  unit  of  measure  now  in  use  would  mainly  arrest  the 


APPENDIX  I  189 

subdivisional  work,  by  requiring  the  use  of  the  centare,  are,  and  hectare 
in  superficial  measures,  instead  of  the  acre,  which  is  the  sole  unit  of 
superficial  measure  now  in  use  in  land  surveys. 

As  the  unsold  lands  are  mingled  with  those  already  disposed  of  and 
patented,  they  cannot  be  resurveyed.  If  the  proposed  obligatory 
law  should  go  into  effect,  it  is  evident  that  the  labors  of  this  office  in 
disposing  of  lands,  the  subdivisions  of  which  are  governed  by  two  dif- 
ferent systems,  must  be  very  considerably  increased. 

The  Gunter  chain,  so  long  used  in  this  branch  of  the  public  service, 
is  of  the  convenient  length  of  66  feet.  It  furnishes  a  unit  of  linear 
measure  twenty  times  greater  than  that  of  the  metric  system — a  unit 
that  accords  with  the  magnitude  of  the  operations  in  which  it  is  em- 
ployed. This  measure  is  readily  adapted  to  ancient  surveys,  in  which 
the  pole  or  perch  was  used.  It  determines  the.  statute  mile  without 
division  of  its  parts. 

The  80  chains  of  the  mile  divide  into  suitable  parts  without  fraction, 
and  the  subdivisions  of  lands  produced  thereby  are  equally  free  from 
the  disadvantage  of  fractional  parts  of  the  acre. 

The  legal  township  of  the  United  States  land  surveys  is  approximately 
a  rectangular  tract,  with  sides  of  six  statute  miles.  This  body  of  land 
is  divided  into  36  sections,  with  sides  of  80  chains,  each  regular  section 
embracing,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  a  square  mile,  or  640  acres. 

In  setting  off  the  aforementioned  tracts  by  the  metric  system,  the 
sides  of  the  township — six  miles — would  measure  9  kilometers,  6  hecto- 
meters, 5  decameters,  6.083  meters. 

The  sides  of  the  sections — 80  chains — would  measure  1  kilometer, 
6  hectometers,  9.347  meters. 

The  contents  of  a  section,  now  briefly  expressed  "640  acres,"  would 
be  258  hectares,  99  ares,  98.41  centares. 

The  contents  of  the  convenient  and  briefly  described  quarter-section 
of  160  acres,  expressed  in  terms  of  the  metric  system,  would  be  64 
hectares,  74  ares,  99.6  centares. 

It  will,  I  trust,  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  that  the  substitution  of  the 
meter  for  the  convenient  unit  now  used  in  land  surveys  is  not  likely  to 
promote  the  interests  of  this  branch  of  the  service.  On  the  contrary, 
the  effect  will  be  to  increase  its  labors  and  expenses,  and  to  cause  great 
inconvenience  to  the  public  for  many  years  to  come,  and  these  embarrass- 
ments seem  to  be  unbalanced  by  any  corresponding  advantage. 

J.  A.  Wood,  Architect: 

I  am  as  conversant  with  the  metric  system  of  measurements  as  with 
the  English  system  of  feet,  inches,  etc.,  I  have  used  it  in  making  plans 
to  be  used  in  Spain,  Belgium,  Cuba,  Brazil,  and  Buenos  Ayres. 

In  employing  foreign  draftsmen  brought  up  to  the  metric  system 
and  accustomed  to  it,  I  find  their  work  contains  more  errors  than  when 
plans  are  made  on  English  scales. 

In  Spain  and*  in  all  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  countries,  with 
which  I  am  familiar,  the  workmen  receive  the  general  plans  as  they 


190  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

are  made,  but  in  doing  the  work  first  reduce  and  make  the  detail  or 
working  plan  to  a  scale  of  feet  and  inches  (pies  and  pulgadas)  and  yards 
(varas).  Usually,  but  not  always,  Spanish  feet  and  inches,  which 
are  one-twelfth  shorter  than  English  feet,  while  nearly  all  machinery  in 
those  countries  is  required  by  the  users  to  be  measured  in  English 
feet  and  inches. 

In  land  survey  in  Spanish  countries  I  find  many  errors,  and  on  close 
investigation  I  find  they  are  nearly  always  tenths,  hundredths,  etc. 

Much  inconvenience  to  90  per  cent,  of  the  native  mechanics  of  the 
country  would  be  the  result.  The  same  would  be  the  case  with  all 
land  surveys. 

The'law  would  be  a  dead  letter,  the  same  as  it  is  in  Spain  and  Spanish 
countries,  and  to  a  great  extent  is  still  in  Germany.  The  feet,  inches, 
yards,  rods,  miles,  etc.,  will  continue  to  be  the  measures  in  general  use. 


APPENDIX  II 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  firms  and  individuals  who  supplied 
the  returned  questionnaires  which  are  summarized  in  Chapter  II. 

ARGENTINA 

NATIONAL  CITY  BANK  BRANCH Buenos  Aires 

E.  RESENTRY  (?) Rosario 

D.  MEYER  &  CIA Bahia  Blanca 

RAMOSE  ABILLA Vircuman 

SANTIAGO  EGLI Mendoza 

DONALD  CAMPBELL E.  Carbo  Entre  Rios 

W.  SIDWELL Posadas 

ALLAN  B.  LEA Buenos  Aires 

ENSOR  H.  BLANCHARD San  Isidro 

MINISTER  OF  AGRICULTURE 

Louis  DANNERALD Mendoza 

BRAZIL 

PRAMCA  Y  MARTINES Sao  Paulo 

A.  HAAS B.  Huyinte 

OHLIGER  &  Co Manaos 

BANCO  DO  NATAL Natal 

DAVID  CAMEIRO  &  jCo Coritiba 

BANCO  HSP.  E  AGRICOLA Bello  Horizonte 

FAS  SCBAPA  &  FICHOS 

TANCREDO  PORTE  &  Co Manaos 

M.  F.  Do  MONTE  &  Co Mossoro 

NATIONAL  CITY  BANK  BRANCH Santos 

BANCO  COMMERCIO  DE  P  A Rio  Grande 

SALGADO  ROGERS  &  Co Ceara 

BERRINGER  &  Co Para  ] 

COMPANHIA  MOGYANA Campinas 

BERNARDO  A  DE  F  HERMANOS Goyas 

Luiz  BAPTISTA,  JR Sao  Paulo 

JOSE  HENRIQUES  DUARTE .Sao  Paulo 

ARMANDO  ANNES  &  Co Passo  Fundo 

J.  B.  STEWART,  American  Vice-Consul Pernambuco 

DIRECTOR  OP  THE  ESTRADA  DE  FERRO  CENTRAL  DE  BRAZIL.  . . . 

MONTESTH  &  Co Pernambuco 

THEODORE  SAMPAIO Bahia 

DR.  FRANCISCO  TEXEIRA  DE  SILVA  TILLES Santos 

AMERICAN  CONSULATE Para 

J.  P.  FERRAS Sao  Paulo 

Luiz  BARRETTO  FILHO Sao  Paulo  . 

C.  F.  DEICHMAN,  American  Consul Santos 

GBO.  H.  PICKENELL,  American  Consul Para 

191 


192  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

EDWARD  HIGGINS,  American  Consul Bahia 

ALFRED  L.  MOREAU  GOTTSCHALK,  Consul  General Rio  de  Janeiro 

L.  O.  MUNCH Porto  Alegre 

Cirxs.  L.  HOOVER,  American  Consul Sao  Paulo 

F.  I.  RIBERIRS  DE  CASTRO Rio  de  Janeiro 

MIGUEL  PRESGRAVE Santos 

MANGEL  CARNEIRO  DE  SANZA  BANDEIRA Rio  de  Janeiro 

UNDECIPHERABLE Florianopolis 

PRAENCAR  MATHUS Sao  Paulo 

CHILE 

BANCO  ESPANOL  DE  CHILE Antofagasta 

BANCO  ESPANOL  DE  CHILE Iquique 

BANCO  ESPANOL  DE  CHILE Valdivia 

Y.  E.  S. Cordoba 

JOHN  STERETT  GITTINGS,  JR.,  Commercial  Dept.,  Valparaiso 

Branch  of  the  National  City  Bank Valparaiso 

W.  R.  GRACE  &  Co Punta  Arenas 

THE  COQUIMBO  AGENCIES  Co Coquimbo 

JOHN   R.    BRADLEY,  American  Consul Punta   Arenas 

ALBERTO  FAIT  &  Co Punta  Arenas 

MARK  R.  LAMB Santiago 

COLOMBIA 

SOCIEDAD    DE   AGRICULTURES   DE    COLOMBIA Bogota 

CAMARA  DE  COMERCIO  DE  BOGOTA Bogota 

UNITED  FRUIT  Co.,  Chas.  W.  Sinners,  Mgr Santa  Marta 

0.  E.  GUYANT,  American  Consul Barranquilla 

UNITED  FRUIT  Co.,  Ahanino  Klacio,  Agent Barranquilla 

COSTA  RICA 

C.  P.  CULLEN Limon 

BENJAMIN  F.  CHASE,  American  Consul San  Jose 

SALV.  CERDA San  Jose 

CUBA 

UNITED  FRUIT  Co Preston 

GEO.  B.  STARBUCK,  American  Vice-Consul Cienfuegos 

LIBORIO  ALVIRA Cienfuegos 

ECUADOR 

J.  G.  WHITE  &  Co Guayaquil 

J.  A.  CLEVELAND Guayaquil 

F.  W.  GODING,  American  Consul  General Guayaquil 

THE  GUAYAQUIL  AGENCIES  Co Guayaquil 

BANCO  DEL  ECUADOR Guayaquil 

Louis  A.  PLAZA Guayaquil 

GUATEMALA 

LEON  GUTTMAN  &  Co Guatemala  City 

RODRIGO  MALINA Guatemala  City 

ANTONIO  TEJEDA   A Barberena 

C.  M.  SHAW,  Division  Manager,  United  Fruit  Co Puerto  Barrios 

TOPKE  &  Co Guatemala  City 


APPENDIX  II  193 

MEXICO 

NORTON  F.  BRAND,  American  Consul Salina  Cruz 

W.  W.  GRAHAM,  British  Vicc-Consul Durango 

STEPHEN  E.  AGUIRRO,  American  Consul Ciudad  Juarez 

G.  K.  DONALD,  American  Consul Aguascalientes' 

WALTER  H.  SHOLES,  American  Consul Nuevo  Laredo 

FRANCIS  R.  STEWART,  American  Consul Vera  Cruz 

ANDRES  GOMEZ  Y  OREJAN Vera  Cruz 

GAYLORD  MARSH,  American  Consul Yucatan 

W.  E.  CHAPMAN,  American  Consul Sinaloa 

AMERICAN  CONSULATE Frontera,  Tabasco 

NICARAGUA 

ANDREW  J.  McCoNNico,  American  Consul Corinto 

MAX  SACORA Rivas 

IGNACIO  CARDOZE Masaya 

PANAMA 

A   G.  SNYDER,  American  Consul  General Panama 

AROSEMENA  HERMANOS Panama 

J.  M.  KYES Bocas  del  Toro 

AMERICAN  TRADE  DEVELOPING  Co Panama 

G.  A.  ALVARADO,  Municipal  Weights  and  Measures  Dept Panama 

PERU 

D.  DASSO Callao 

CARLOS  BASADRE  Y  G Lima 

EMILIORAN  OORDT Lima 

AREQUIPA  AGENCIES  Co Arequipa 

PIURA  AGENCIES  Co Piura 

W.  R.  GRACE  &  Co Lima 

THE  SALAVERRY  AGENCIES  Co Salaverry 

PORTO  RICO 
FINLEY,  WEYMOUTH  &  LEE,  INC San  Juan 

SAN  SALVADOR 
FERNANDO  SAGREN San  Salvador 

SPANISH  HONDURAS 

FRANCIS  J.  DYER,  American  Consul Tegucigalpa 

CHAS.  N.  WILLARD,  American  Consul Ceiba 

LAHI  CULOTTA Puerto  Cortez 

URUGUAY 

NATIONAL  CITY  BANK  BRANCH Montevideo 

C.  PEREZ  MONTEIO  Y  CA Montevideo 

REYUSER  Y  TAULMNAT Montevideo 

WILLIAM  DAWSON,  American  Consul * Montevideo 

VENEZUELA 

BANCO  COMMERCIAL  DE  BARRANQUILLA Barranquilla 

KARL  BLASHITZ ; Caracas 

HOMER  BRETT,  American  Consul LaGuaira 

FRANK  ANDERSON  HENRY,  American  Consul Puerto  Cabello 

EMIL  SAUER,  American  Consul Maracaibo 

13 


APPENDIX  III 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  firms  and  corporations  who  answered  the  ques- 
tionnaire and  whose  answers  are  summarized  in  Chapter  III.  From  this  list  some 
undecipherable  signatures  are,  of  necessity,  omitted.  Signatures  of  the  type,  John 
Doe,  Supt.,  with  nothing  to  signify  of  what  he  is  superintendent  are  also  omitted. 
Questionnaires  so  signed  have,  however,  been  counted  because  filled  out  in  good 
faith. 

Anchor     Sawmills     Co Memphis,    ^Tenn. 

American     Steel     Foundries Chicago,     111. 

American    Clay    Machinery    Co Willoughby,    Ohio. 

American    Encaustic    Tiling    Co.,    Ltd Zanesville,    Ohio. 

American    Sterilizer    Co Erie,     Pa. 

American  Locomotive  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

American    Felt    Co Boston,    Mass. 

American    Shoe    Polish    Co Chicago,    111. 

American     Pulley     Co .  Philadelphia,     Pa. 

American  Pad  &  Textile  Co Greenfield,  Ohio. 

American    Multigraph    Co: Cleveland,    Ohio. 

American   Mason   Safety  Tread  Co Lowell,   Mass. 

American  Machinery  Co.,  Inc Philadelphia ,  Pa. 

American  La-France  Fire  Engine  Co Elmira,  N.  Y. 

American  Hardware  Corporation New  Britain,  Conn. 

American    Fork    &    Hoe    Co Wallingford,    Vt. 

American  Chicle  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Alphaduct  Co Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

Alpha     Portland     Cement     Co Easton,     Pa. 

Allbright-Nell    Co Chicago,    HI. 

Ahlstrom   Piano  Co Jamestown,   N.  Y. 

Acid  Proof  Iron  Products  Co Newark,  N.  J. 

A.    &.    J.    Manufacturing   Co Chicago,    111. 

Automatic  Machine  Company Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Artie   Ice   Machine   Co Canton,   Ohio. 

Atlas  Ball  Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Acme    Steel    Goods    Co Chicago,    111. 

Alliance  Knitting  Mills Whitesboro,  N.  Y. 

Armstrong  Cork  &  Insulation  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Adam  Electric  Co.,   Frank St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Automatic    Electric    Co Chicago,     111. 

Alabama     Co Birmingham,     Ala. 

American  Hoist  &  Derrick  Co St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Autocar   Company Ardmore,    Pa. 

Automobile  Crank  Shaft  Corp Detroit,  Mich. 

Auburn  Wagon  Co Martinsburg,  W.  Va. 

American  Soda  Fountain  Co • Boston,  Mass. 

Abrasive     Company Philadelphia,     Pa. 

American  Chain  Co Bridgeport,  Conn. 

194 


APPENDIX  III  195 

Ames  Shovel  &  Tool  Co Boston,  Mass. 

American    Wire    Fabrics    Co Chicago,    111. 

American  Thermos  Bottle  Co Norwich,  Conn. 

American  Smelting  &  Refining  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

American    Die   &   Tool   Co Reading,    Pa. 

A.  P.  W.  Paper  Co Albany,  N.  Y. 

Acme   Rubber   Co Trenton,    N.   J. 

Autophone  Co Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

Atlantic     Steel    Co Atlanta,     Ga. 

Art    Wall    Paper    Mills .Chicago,    111. 

Art  Metal  Construction  Co Jamestown,  N.  Y. 

Arnold  Print  Works North  Adams,  Mass. 

Appleton    Wire   Works Appleton,    Wis. 

Andrews   Wire   &   Iron   Works Rockford,    111. 

Anderson     Engine     Co Chicago,     111. 

American  Tube  &  Stamping  Co Bridgeport,  Conn. 

American   Transformer  Co Newark,   N.   J. 

American  Tap  &  Die  Co Greenfield,  Mass. 

American   Rolling    Mill   Co. Middletown,    Ohio. 

American  Steam  Gauge  &  Valve  Mfg.  Co Boston,  Mass. 

Aurora    Tool    Works Aurora,     Ind. 

American  Tool  &  Machine  Co Boston,  Mass. 

American  Gas  Furnace  Co Elizabeth,  N.  J. 

Allith    Prouty    Company Danville,    Ind. 

Armstrong    Bros.    Tool   Co Chicago,    111. 

Alaska  Packers  Association. San  Francisco,  Cal. 

American    Oak    Leather    Co Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

American  District  Steam  Co No.  Tonawanda,  N.  Y. 

Atlas  Lumber  Co Seattle,  Wash. 

American  Sheet  &  Tin  Plate  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

American  &  British  Mfg.  Co Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Anniston     Steel     Co Anniston,     Ala. 

Aermotor     Co Chicago,     111. 

Avery  &  Sons,  Inc.,  B.  F New  York,  N.  Y. 

Archbold-Brady    Co Syracuse,    N.    Y. 

American  Brake  Shoe  &  Foundry  Co Mahwah,  N.  J. 

Aluminum  Goods  Mfg.  Co Manitowoc,  Wis. 

American  Cast  Iron  Pipe  Co Birmingham,  Ala. 

American  Stove  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Atlas     Tack     Co Fairhaven,     Mass. 

American  Lava  Co Chattanooga,   Tenn. 

Allison  Co.,   W.   D. Indianapolis,   Ind. 

Avalon  Knitwear  Co Utica,  N.  Y. 

Abbott    Laboratories Chicago,    111. 

Allen  &  Co.,  L.  B Chicago,  111. 

Allen  &  Co.,  S.  L.  Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Adt  Co.,  John  B Baltimore,  Md. 

American  Frog  &  Switch  Co Hamilton,  Ohio. 

American  Malleables  Co , Lancaster,  N.  Y. 

Addressograph     Co Chicago,     111. 

Acheson  Graphite  Co Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Avery    Co Peoria,    111. 

Allis-Chalmers     Mfg.     Co Milwaukee,     Wis. 


196  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Atkins   &   Co.,   E.    C Indianapolis,    Ind. 

American  Seating  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Ainsworth  &  Sons,  Wm Denver,  Col. 

American  Machine  &  Mfg.  Co Greenville,  S.  C. 

American  Chain  Co.,  Inc New  York,  N.  Y. 

Ajax  Metal  Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Allegheny  Steel  Co .Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

American  Seeding  Machine  Co Springfield,  Ohio. 

Albough-Dover    Co Chicago,     111. 

Barcalo  Mfg.  Co Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Betz  Co.,  Frank  S Hammond,  Ind. 

Blish    Milling    Co Seymour,    Ind. 

Ballwood  Co ,.New  York,  N.  Y. 

Bridgeport  Brass  Co * Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Berry    Bros Detroit,    Mich. 

Burke   &   James Chicago,    111. 

Blount  Co.,  J.  G Everett,  Mass. 

Bryant  Electric  Co Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Bahmann  Iron  Works  Co Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Baltimore  Enamel  &  Novelty  Co Baltimore,   Md. 

Benedict  Mfg.  Co East  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Baker- Vawter  Co Benton  Harbor,  Mich. 

Brown  &  Sharpe  Mfg.   Co Providence,   R.  I. 

Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical  Co Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Burt  &  Packard  Co Brockton,    Mass. 

Byram  Veneer  &  Lbr.  Co Byram,  Miss. 

Babcock  &  Wilcox  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Bound  Brook  Oil-less  Bearing  Co Bound  Brook,  N.  J. 

Bower  Chemical  Mfg.  Co.,  Henry .Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Bagdad  Land  &  Lumber  Co Bagdad,   Florida. 

Buffalo  Foundry  &  Machine  Co Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Blair   Mfg.   Co Springfield,    Mass. 

Barnes     Mfg.     Co Mansfield,     Ohio. 

Block  Gas  Mantle  Co Youngstown,  Ohio. 

Butler  &  Hazeltine Haverhill,  Mass. 

Boston  Woven  Hose  &  Rubber  Co Cambridge,  Mass, 

Belden     Manufacturing     Co Chicago,     111. 

Brunner  Mfg.  Co Utica,  N.  Y. 

Bendixen,    P Bettendorf,    la. 

Benjamin    Electric    Mfg.    Co Chicago,    111. 

Bristol  Patent  Leather  Co Boston,  Mass. 

Burt   Machine  Co. Baltimore,    Md. 

Builders  Iron  Foundry Providence,   R.   I. 

Bishop  &  Co.  Platinum  Works,  J Malvern,  Pa. 

Bullock     Mfg.     Ass'n Springfield,     Mass. 

Blaisdell  Pencil  Co. Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Blood  &  Co.,  Inc.,  John Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Blanchard  Machine  Co Cambridge,  Mass. 

Belmont  Iron  Works Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Burroughs  Adding  Machine  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

Baker  Brothers Toledo,  Ohio. 

Baltimore    Copper    Plate   Co Baltimore,    Md. 


APPENDIX  III  197 

Banister   Co.,    J.    A Newark,    N.    J. 

Benton  Machine  Tool  Co Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Barrett  Company New  York,  N.  Y. 

Erode  &  Co.,  F.  W ;  . Memphis,  Tenn. 

Besley   &  Co.,   C.   H Chicago,   111. 

Barney  &  Berry,  Inc Springfield,  Mass. 

Bessemer  Gas  Engine  Co Grove  City,  Pa. 

Berger  Mfg.  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Bearings    Co.    of    America Lancaster,    Pa. 

Bacurle  &  Morris Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Bowen  Mfg.  Co .Auburn,  N.  Y. 

Brennan   Packing  Co Chicago,    111. 

Berger  Mfg.  Co Canton,  Ohio. 

Bramhall,  Deane  Co .% New  York,  N.  Y. 

Bryant    Paper    Co Kalamazoo,     Mich. 

Burgess    Sulphite    Fibre    Co Portland,    Maine. 

Bliss  Fabyan  &  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Burt  Mfg.   Co Akron,  Ohio. 

Ballantine  &  Sons,  P Newark,  N.  J. 

Buffalo  Wire  Works  Co Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Brennan    &    Co.,    John Detroit,    Mich. 

Butler    Edwards    Electric    Co Easton,    Pa. 

Bradley    &    Vrooman    Co Chicago,     111. 

Brown  Instrument  Co Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Buffalo   Dental   Mfg.   Co Buffalo,    N.   Y. 

Baum's  Castorine  Co Rome,   N.  Y. 

Boomer  &  Boschert  Press  Co Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

B.  &  K.  Mfg.  Co New  Britain,  Conn. 

Beaman   Smith   Co ;  . . .  Providence,    R.    I. 

Boston   Machine  Works  Co Lynn,   Mass. 

The     Baker     Mfg.     Co Springfield,     111. 

Bryden    Horse    Shoe Catasauqua,    Pa. 

Bignall   &   Keeler   Machine   Works Edwardsville,    111. 

Boyd  &  Bro.,  James Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Bean   Spray   Pump   Co San   Jose,    Cal. 

Byers  Co.,  A.  M Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Blaw-Knox    Co : Pittsburgh,     Pa. 

Black  &  Decker  Mfg.  Co Baltimore,  Md. 

Baldwin    Locomotive    Works Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Bristol   Co.  .  . Waterbury,    Conn. 

Beacon  Falls  Rubber  Shoe  Co Beacon  Falls,  Conn. 

Buckeye    Traction    Ditcher    Co Findley,    Ohio. 

Buffalo  Steam  Pump  Co North  Tonawanda,  N.  Y. 

Borden  Co Warren,  Ohio. 

Buffalo  Scale  Co Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Bunting  Brass  &  Bronze  Co Toledo,  Ohio. 

Barnes     Drill     Co. Rockford,     111. 

Brown   Portable   Conveying   Machinery   Co Chicago,    111. 

Borne,  Scrymser  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Buffalo  Meter  Co ; Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Bliss  Co.,  E.  W , Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Birmingham    Iron    Foundry Derby,    Vt. 

Ball    Engine    Co Erie,    Pa. 


198  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Boston  Pressed  Metal  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Black-Clawson   Co Hamilton,    Ohio. 

Berkeley    Electric    Cooker   Co San    Francisco,    Cal. 

Briscoe     Motor    Corporation Jackson,     Mich. 

Buffalo  Bolt  Co Tonawanda,  N.  Y. 

Burson    Knitting    Co Rockford,     111. 

Brookside    Mills Knoxville,    Tenn. 

Burr    Mfg.    Co Cleveland,    Ohio. 

Billings   &   Spencer  Co Hartford,   Conn. 

Bentel  &  Margedant  Co Hamilton,  Ohio. 

Baeder,   Adamson  &  Co Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Boston  Bottle  Wiring  &  Labeling  Co.  .  . Boston,   Mass. 

Beechnut  Packing  Co Canajoharie,  N.  Y. 

Baker  R.   &  L.   Co Cleveland,   Ohio. 

Bagley  &   Sewall  Co Watertown,    N.    Y. 

Baird     Machine     Co Bridgeport,     Conn. 

Babcock  Printing  Press  Mfg.  Co New  London,  Conn. 

Bowman,    C.    C Pittston,    Pa. 

Brown    Folding    Machine    Co Erie,     Pa. 

Bradley  &  Son,  Inc.,  C.  C Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Bucyrus   Co South    Milwaukee,    Wis. 

Brecht     Company St.     Louis,     Mo. 

Belmont  Packing  Rubber  Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Bertman      Electric     Co Chicago,     111. 

Baltimore  Pearl  Hominy  Co , Baltimore,   Md. 

Bessemer    Motor    Truck    Co. . Grove    City,    Pa. 

Cumberland  Steel  Co Cumberland,   Md. 

Clark  Equipment  Co Buchanan,  Mich. 

Chicago    Rawhide    Mfg.    Co Chicago,    111. 

Champion  Ignition  Co Flint,   Mich. 

Cabot,    Samuel,    Incorporated Boston,    Mass. 

Columbian    Bronze    Corp Freeport,   L.    I. 

Cincinnati     Planer     Co Cincinnati,     Ohio. 

Card  Mfg.  Co.,  S.  W Mansfield,  Mass. 

Chain     Belt     Co Milwaukee,     Wis. 

Cluett,  Peabody  &  Co.,  Inc • Troy,  N.  Y. 

Corona  Typewriter  Co.,  Inc Groton,  N.  Y. 

Cudahy    Packing    Co Chicago,     111. 

Cincinnati    Bickford    Tool    Co Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

Clyde  Iron  Works Duluth,  Minn. 

Coplay  Cement  Mfg.  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Corning  Glass  Works Corning,  N.  Y. 

Chemical  Company  of  America New  York,  N.  Y. 

Cleveland    Twiso    Drill    Co Cleveland,    Ohio. 

California  &  Hawaiian  Sugar  Refining  Co Crockett,  Calif. 

Columbus  Aseptic  Furniture  Co Columbus,  Ohio. 

Computing    Scale    Co Dayton,    Ohio. 

Commercial    Boiler   Works Seattle,    Wash. 

Castle  Engineering  Co.,   A.    M LaCrosse,   Wis. 

Cochran    Pipe    Wrench    Mfg.    Co Chicago,    111. 

Canfield  Oil  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Clarb,  Jr.,  James,  Electric    Co Louisville,  Ky. 


APPENDIX  III  199 

Clark  &  Co.,  George  M.,  Div.  American  Stove  Co Chicago,  111. 

Chicago     Veneer    Company Chicago,    Ill- 
Crane  Company Chicago,  111- 

Cadman    Manufacturing    Co.,    A.    W Pittsburgh,    Pa- 
California   Corrugated   Culvert   Co West   Berkeley,   Cal- 

Church   Co.,    John Cincinnati,   Ohio- 
Chandler   &   Taylor  Co Indianapolis,   Ind- 

Coatsville   Boiler   Works Coatesville,   Pa- 

Columbian    Iron    Works v Chattanooga,    Tenn- 

Cutler-Hammer  Mfg.  Co Milwaukee,  Wis- 

Cunningham  Son  &  Co.,  Jas Rochester,  N.  Y- 

Challenge     Company Batavia,     111- 

Colwell,     Lewis Chicago,     111. 

Carnation  Milk  Products  Co Seattle,  Wash. 

Chicago    Belting    Co Chicago,    111. 

Cowles   &   Co.,    C. New   Haven,    Conn. 

Cole    Motor    Car   Co Indianapolis,    Ind. 

Crocker    Wheeler   Co Ampere,    N.   J. 

Cling  Surface  Company Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Commonwealth  Shoe  &  Lea.  Co Boston,  Mass. 

Covert's    Saddlery    Works Interlaken,    N.    Y. 

Cleveland   Metal  Products  Co Cleveland,   Ohio. 

Chicago  Tape  &  Label  Co Chicago,  111. 

Carr    Fastener    Company Cambridge,    Mass. 

Corbin  Screw  Corporation New  Britain,   Conn. 

Columbia  Graphophone  Company Woolworth  Bldg.,  N.  Y. 

Columbia    Wagon    Co Columbia,    Pa. 

Commonwealth    Motors    Co Chicago,    111. 

Cleveland-Cliffs    Iron    Co Cleveland,    Ohio. 

Certain-teed  Products  Corp New  York,  N.  Y. 

Chambers   Bros.   Co Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Carton    Belting   Co Boston,    Mass. 

Chase  Turbin  Mfg.  Co Orange,  Mass. 

C.  &  C.  Electric  Mfg.  Co Garwood,  N.  J. 

Couple  Gear  &  Freight  Wheel  Co Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Cleveland  Tanning  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Central     Scientific     Co Chicago,     111. 

California    Paint    Co Oakland,    Calif. 

Chattanooga  Implement  &  Mfg.  Co Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

Capron    Co Providence,    R.    I. 

California    Ripe    Olive    Co Oroville,    Cal. 

Camden  Anchor-Rockland  Machine  Co Camden,  Maine. 

Continental    Salt   &    Chemical   Co San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Cornell   Wood   Products  Co Chicago,   111. 

Cleveland   Automatic   Machine  Co Cleveland,   Ohio. 

Carter's  Ink  Company Boston,  Mass. 

Cobb,  S.  H Lynn,  Mass. 

Case  Threshing  Machine  Co.,  J.  I Racine,  Wis. 

Colton    Company,    Arthur Detroit,    Mich. 

Corbin    &    Son     Co.,    B.    A Webster,    Mass. 

Chicago   Wheel  &  Mfg.   Co Chicago,   111. 

Chicago   Spring   Butt  Company Chicago,    111. 

Caloric    Co .  .  Janesville,    Wis. 


200  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Columbus  Bolt  Works  Co Columbus,  Ohio. 

Cleveland    Steel    Tool    Co Cleveland,    Ohio. 

Curtis    Pneumatic    Mchy.    Co St.    Louis,    Mo. 

Continental    Refining   Co Oil    City,    Pa. 

Chatillon  &  Son,  John New  York,  N.  Y. 

Carnes  Artificial  Limb  Co Kansas  City,   Mo. 

Calumet  &  Hecla  Mining  Co Boston,  Mass. 

Castner,  Curran  &  Bullitt,  Inc New  York,  N.  Y. 

Cheney   Bigelow  Wire   Works Springfield,    Mass. 

Crown   Cork   &  Seal  Co Baltimore,    Md. 

Columbia  Rope  Co Auburn,  N.  Y. 

Caille  Perfection  Motor  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

Consumers     Bis"cuit     Co New     Orleans,     La. 

Cincinnati    Gear    Cutting    Machine    Co Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

Cincinnati   Shaper   Co .- Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

Chadwick-Boston  Lead   Co Boston,    Mass. 

Cresson     Morris     Co Philadelphia,      Pa. 

Cooks  Linoleum  Co Trenton,   N.  J. 

Clark  Bros.  Co Olean,  N.  Y. 

Collins  Company Collinsville,  Conn. 

Clark   &   Coombs   Co Providence,   R.    I. 

Cheney  Brothers South  Manchester,  Conn. 

Cohen  Trolley  Track  Mfg.  Co. Holyoke,  Mass. 

Converse  Rubber  Shoe  Co Maiden,   Mass. 

Corey  Leather  Co Boston,  Mass. 

Century  Electric  Co St.  Louis,   Mo. 

Curtis  &  Marble  Machine  Co. . Worcester,  Mass. 

Carrier  Engineering  Corporation New  York,  N.  Y. 

Chicago    Screw    Co Chicago,    111. 

Cushman     Motor     Works Lincoln,     Neb. 

Cincinnati  Milling  Machine  Co Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Clayton  &  Lambert  Mfg.  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

California    Barrel    Co San    Francisco,    Cal. 

Cadillac  Motor  Car  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

Chicago    Pump    Co Chicago,    111. 

Commerce  Motor  Car  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

Columbus  Union  Oil  Cloth  Co .Columbus,   Ohio. 

Conneaut    Leather    Co Conneaut,     Ohio. 

Crane    &    Breed    Mfg.    Co Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

Corega    Chemical    Co Cleveland,    Ohio. 

Chicago   Retort   &   Fire   Brick   Co Chicago.    111. 

George    Cutler    Co , South    Bend,    Ind. 

Columbian  Steel  Tank  Co Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Cushman   Chuck  Co Hartford,    Conn. 

Climax    Fire    Brick    Co Climax,     Pa. 

Cufeld  Waste  &  Batting  Co Saylesville,  R.  I. 

Carver  Cotton  Gin  Co E.  Bridgewater,  Mass. 

Campbell   Company,    Joseph Camden,    N.    J. 

Cattaraugus  Tanning  Co Boston,    Mass. 

Crouse  Hinds  Co Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Central  Foundry  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Chandler    &    Price    Co Cleveland,    Ohio. 

Climax  Co.,  J.  H.  W Newark,  N.  J. 


APPENDIX  III  201 

Crescent     Machine     Co Leetonia,     Ohio. 

Commercial    Lubricating    Co Philadelphia,     Pa. 

Cold  well  Lawn  Mower Newburgh,   N.  Y. 

Copeland    Co.,    Martin Providence,    R.    I. 

Champion  Horse  Shoe  Co Pawtucket,   R.  I. 

Caldwell   &   Son   Co.,   H.   W Chicago,   111. 

Goes   Wrench   Co Worcester,    Mass. 

Corn  Products  Refining  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Commercial    Car    Unit    Company Philadelphia,     Pa. 

Clark  Wire  Co.,  W.  A Elizabeth,  N.  J. 

du  Pont  de  Nemours  &  Co.,  E.  I Wilmington,  Delaware. 

Detroit    Copper    &    Brass    Rolling    Mills Detroit,-  Mich. 

DeVilbiss     Mfg.     Co Toledo,     Ohio. 

Davol   Rubber   Company Providence,    R.    I. 

Diamond   State   Fibre   Co Bridgeport,   Pa. 

Decker    Mfg.    Co Keokuk,    Iowa. 

Davenport   Locomotive    Works Davenport,    Iowa. 

Domestic    Engineering    Co Dayton,    Ohio. 

Dodge  Manufacturing  Co Mishawaka,  Ind. 

Diamond    Drill    Co Sherman,    Texas. 

Dutcher   &    Co.,    Frank   Wm Boston,    Mass. 

Dexter   Portland   Cement   Co Nazareth,    Pa. 

Dort     Motor    Car    Co Flint,     Mich. 

Detroit    Twist    Drill    Co Detroit,    Mich. 

Detrick  &  Harvey  Machine  Co. .  : Baltimore,  Md. 

Dallas    Waste    Mills Dallas,    Texas. 

Dyer    Company Cleveland,     Ohio. 

Douglas  Shoe  Co.,  W.  L Brockton,  Mass. 

Diehl    Mfg.    Co Elizabeth,    N.    J. 

Darnell,  Inc.,  R.  J Memphis,  Tenn. 

Diamond  Chain  &  Mfg.  Co Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Durham  Duplex  Razor  Co Jersey  City,   N.  J. 

Dick,    Co.,    A.    B ' Chicago,    111. 

Dayton     Mfg.     Co Dayton,     Ohio. 

Davis  Machine  Tool  Co.,  Inc Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Davis     Mfg.     Co Milwaukee,     Wis. 

Durant   Mfg.   Co Milwaukee,   Wis. 

Desmond  Stephan  Mfg.  Co Urbana,  Ohio. 

Duntley     Products     Co Erie,     Pa. 

Durand  Steel  Locker  Co Chicago  Heights,   111. 

Detroit    Shipbuilding    Co Detroit,    Mich. 

Dennison  Manufacturing  Co Framingham,  Mass. 

Dauch    Mfg.    Co. Sandusky,    Ohio. 

Detroit  Steel  Products  Co Detroit,    Mich. 

Denby    Motor   Truck   Co '. Detroit,    Mich. 

Denver   Rock   Drill   Mfg.    Co Denver,    Colo. 

Dodge  Brothers Detroit,  Mich. 

Douglas   Company : Cedar   Rapids,    Iowa. 

Dexter  Sulphite  Pulp  &  Paper  Co Dexter,  N.  Y. 

Dines   Jr.    Co.,    William  L Worcester,    Mass. 

Dalton    Adding    Machine    Co Norwood,    Ohio. 

Dain   Manufacturing  Co Ottumwa,  Iowa. 


202  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Dart    Motor   Truck   Co Waterloo,    Iowa 

Delta   File   Works Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Dougherty  &  Co.,  Inc.,  H.  D .  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Diamond  Machine  Co Providence,  R.  I 

Davis    Birely    Table    Co Shelbyville,    Ind. 

Dill  Machine  Co.,  T.  C Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Daisy     Mfg.     Co Plymouth,     Mich. 

Detroit    Oak    Belting    Co ' Detroit.     Mich. 

Dodge  Steel  Pulley  Corp Oneida,  N.  Y. 

Duff    Mfg.    Co Pittsburgh,    Pa. 

Dunlop    Mills Richmond,    Va. 

Disston  &  Sons,  Inc.,  Henry Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Draeger  Oxygen  Apparatus  Co Pittsburgh,   Pa. 

Deming     Co Salem,     Ohio. 

Devine  Co.,  J.  P Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Eastman  Kodak  Co Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Ensign-Bockford  Co Simsbury,  Conn. 

Electric  Hose  &  Rubber  Co Wilmington,  Del. 

Empire  Manufacturing  Co Lockport,  N.  Y. 

Edwards  Co.,  Inc.,  O.  M : .  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Electric    Machinery    Co Minneapolis,    Minn. 

Essanay  Film   Mfg.   Co Chicago,  111. 

Eastern  Malleable  Iron  Co.,  Inc. Troy,  N.  Y. 

Eureka   Company North   East,   Pa. 

Erie    City     Iron    Works '.  .  . Erie,     Pa. 

Emery   Candle    Co Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

Essenay  Products  Co Chicago,  111. 

Eastern  Manufacturing  Co Bangor,  Maine. 

Erie    Foundry    Co Erie,    Pa. 

Excelsior  Steel  Ball  Co Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Eberhard  Manufacturing  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Emerson  Pump  &  Valve  Co.,  Inc Alexandria,  Va. 

Elyria    Enameled    Products    Co. . • Elyria,    Ohio. 

Eastern  Bridge  &  Structural  Co Worcester,    Mass. 

Economy    Lubricating    Co Boston,     Mass. 

Electric  Controller  &  Mfg.  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Ericsson  Manufacturing  Co Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Edison  Storage  Battery  Co Orange,  N.  J. 

Enameled    Metals   Co Etna,    Pa. 

Edwards  Lumber  Co.,  E.  I Dayton,  Ohio. 

Eastwood    Co.,    Benjamin Paterson,   N.   J. 

Electro  Dental  Mfg.  Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Enterprise     Mfg.     Co .  Philadelphia,     Pa. 

Eastman   Machine  Co Buffalo,   N.   Y. 

Epping  Carpenter  Pump  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Eichleay,  Jr.  Co.,  John Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Eagle  Suspender  &  Belt  Co.,  Inc Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Evans  Stamping  &"Plating  Co Taunton,  Mass. 

Electric  Heating  Apparatus  Co Newark,  N.  J. 

Elgin   National   Watch   Co Elgin,    111. 

Eagle  Pipe  Supply  Co.,  Inc .New  York,  N.  Y. 

Edison    Portland    Cement   Co Stewartsville,    N.    J. 


APPENDIX  III  203 

Eagle  Iron  Works Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

Emerson    Electric    Mfg.    Co St.    Louis,    Mo. 

Elliott  Machine  Co Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Eureka    Machine    Co Lansing,    Mich. 

Economy  Fuse  &  Mfg.  Co Chicago,  111. 

Elwell-Parker  Electric  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Economy  Drawing  Table  Co Toledo,  Ohio. 

Eisendrath   Tanning   Co Racine,    Wis. 

Electric     Wheel    Co . Quincy,     111. 

Empire     Automobile    Co Indianapolis,     Ind. 

Essex   Rubber   Co Trenton,    N.    J. 

Eastman,   Gardiner  &  Co Laurel,   Miss. 

Espen  Lucas  Machine  Works .  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Eclipse  Cement  &  Blacking  Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Edmund    &   Jones   Corp Detroit,    Mich. 

Empire     Manufacturing     Co Quincy,     111. 

Elm   City  Cotton  Mills La  Grange,   Ga. 

Elliott-Fisher   Co Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Fox  Typewriter  Co Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Ferracute  Machine  Co Bridgeton,  N.  J. 

Fox   Machine   Co Jackson,    Mich. 

Fuller  &  Warren  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Finola    Manufacturing    Co Hannibal,    Mo. 

Fate  Co.,  J.   D Plymouth,  Ohio. 

Fairmont  Gas  Engine  &  Ry.  Motor  Car  Co Fairmont,  Minn. 

Fostoria  Glass  Co Moundsville,  W.  Va. 

Fulton   Iron   Works   Co St.   Louis,    Mo. 

Field    &    Co.,     Marshall. . Chicago,    111. 

Fischer   &   Pruefer Providence,   R.    I. 

Fawcus   Machine  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Florence  Mining  &  Milling  Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Freeman  Electric  Co.,  E.  H Trenton,  N.  J. 

Fulton    Bag    &    Cotton    Mills Atlanta,    Ga. 

Frost-Superior  Fence  Co Cleveland,   Ohio. 

Fort  Stanwix  Canning  Co '. Rome,  N.  Y. 

Fox  Specialty  Co.,  A.  P. . Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Frost  Company,  George Boston,  Mass. 

Folwell   Bros.    &   Co Collingwood   Mills. 

Fibre  Conduit  Co Orangeburg,  N.  Y. 

Flood  &  Conklin  Co .Newark,  N.  J. 

Fonda  Glove  Lining  Co Fonda,  N.  Y. 

Firth  Sterling  Steel  Co McKeesport,  Pa. 

Flannery  Bolt  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Felt  &  Tarrant  Mfg.  Co Chicago,  111. 

Firestone   Tire   &   Rubber   Co Akron,    Ohio. 

Fellows    Gear    Shaper    Co Springfield,  Vt. 

Foster  Bros.  Mfg.  Co Utica,  N.  Y. 

Filer  &  Stowell  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Fuchs  &  Lang  Mfg.  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Federal  Motor  Truck  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

Fels    &    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Frantz  Premier  Company Cleveland,  Ohio. 


204  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Franklin  Mfg.  Co Franklin,    Pa. 

Franco-American  Food  Co Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

Fairbanks,    Morse  &  Co Chicago,   111. 

Fay   &   Scott Dexter,    Maine. 

Faultless    Rubber    Co , Ashland,    Ohio. 

Furst  Bros.   &  Co Baltimore,   Md. 

Ford  Motor  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Fox  Gun  Co.,  A.  H Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Foos   Gas   Engine   Co Springfield,   Ohio. 

Fisher  Governor  Co Marshalltown,  Iowa. 

Frick  Company Waynesboro,  Pa. 

Fisk  Rubber  Co Chicopee  Falls,  Mass. 

Foote    Mineral    Co. .' Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Greenfield    Tap    &    Die    Corp Greenfield,    Mass. 

Gulf  Cooperage  Co Texarkana,  Texas. 

Gossard  Co.,  Inc.,  H.  W Chicago,  111. 

Graton  &  Knight  Mfg.  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Grange   Co.,    J.    P Providence,    R.   I. 

Gilman     &     Son Springfield,     Vt. 

Grasselli  Chemical  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Gisholt    Machine    Co Madison.     Wis. 

Grand  Rapids  Show  Case  Co Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Great    Western    Mfg.    Co .Laporte,    Ind. 

Growers   Rice   Mfg.    Co San   Francisco,   Cal. 

Geneva  Wagon  Co Geneva,  N.  Y. 

Gifford  Co.,  Bishop Baldwin,  N.  Y. 

Grant     Powder     Co Grant,     Cal. 

Gordon  Co.,   J.  P Columbus,  Ohio. 

Glauber  Brass  Mfg.  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Goodrich  &   Co.,  Hazen   B Haverhill,   Mass. 

Gray    Motor    Co Detroit,     Mich. 

Gilbert  &  Bark  Mfg.  Co Springfield,  Mass. 

Geometric  Tool  Co New  Haven,  Conn. 

Gleason   Works Rochester,    N.    Y. 

Great    Southern    Lumber    Co. . Bogalusa,     La. 

Goulds  Mfg.   Co Seneca  Falls,   N.   Y. 

Grand  Rapids  Brass  Co Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Grand  Rapids  Veneer  Works Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Gill  "Brothers    Co Steubenville,    Ohio. 

Graham,  Gervaise Chicago,  111. 

Gray  Co.,  G.   A Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

General  Elevator  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

General  Fireproofing  Company New  York,  N.  Y. 

Griffin   Wheel   Co Chicago,    111. 

Goodrich  Rubber  Co.,  B.  F Akron,  Ohio. 

Goodell-Pratt   Co. Greenfield,    Mass. 

Gloversville  Knitting  Co Gloversville,  N.  Y. 

Greenfield  Machine  Co Greenfield,   Mass. 

Griffin    Mfg.    Co Erie,    Pa. 

Graham  Mfg.  Co. . . , ; Providence,  R.  I. 

Granger   &   Co.,    Jno.    A Chicago,    111. 

General  American  Tank  Car  Corp Chicago,   111. 


APPENDIX  III  205 

Glens  Falls  Machine  Works Glens  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Great  Western  Smelting  &  Refining  Co Chicago,  111. 

Glasgow     Iron    Co Pottstown,     Pa. 

Graham  Paper  Co St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Gutmann    &    Co Chicago,     111. 

Gardner    Governor    Co Quincy,    111. 

Garford  Motor  Truck  Co Lima,  Ohio. 

Gemco  Manufacturing  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Gambrill   Mfg.   Co.,   C.  A Baltimore,   Md. 

G.  &  J.  Tire  Co Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Gifford  Wood  Co Hudson,  N.  Y. 

Glidden  Varnish  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Goetze  Gasket  &  Packing  Co New  Brunswick,  N.  J. 

Green  Fuel  Economizer  Co Beacon,  N.  Y. 

Georgia   Mfg.   Co Columbus,   Ga. 

Gupull,   H.   E Haverhill,   Mass. 

Gregg   Company,  Ltd Hackensack,  N.  J. 

Goodyear   Tire   &   Rubber   Co Akron,   Ohio. 

Hoover  Steel  Ball  Co Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 

Hindley    Gear    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Horlick's    Malted   Milk   Co Racine,    Wis. 

Howard   Dustless   Duster  Co Boston,    Mass. 

Hazen  Brown  Company Brockton,  Mass. 

Heinemann    Electric    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Houston,   Stanwood   &   Gamble  Co Cincinnati,   Ohio. 

Hunter  Saw  &  Machine  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Hardinge     Brothers,     Inc Chicago,     111. 

Hamilton  Machine  Tool  Co Hamilton,  Ohio. 

Hazard  Mfg.  Co Wilkes  Barre,  Pa. 

Hussey  &  Co.,   C.   G Pittsburgh,   Pa. 

Hamilton   Mfg.   Co Two  Rivers,   Wis. 

Hudson  Mfg.  Co Hastings,  Minn. 

Hately  Bros Chicago,  111. 

Hayes  Pump  &  Planter  Co Galva,  111. 

Hammond  Standish  &  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

Hampshire  Paper  Co South  Hadley  Falls.  Mass. 

Hardwood  Products  Co ./ Neenah,  Wis. 

Hawaiian  Pineapple  Co.,  Ltd San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Hurley   Machine  Co Chicago,   111. 

Hettler  Lumber  Co.,  Herman  H Chicago,  111. 

Holeproof   Hosiery   Co Milwaukee,   Wis. 

Hess  Warming  &  Ventilating  Co Chicago,   111. 

Hudson  Motor  Car  Company Detroit,  Mich. 

Hale-Boardman,  Inc.,  John  M New  York,  N.  Y. 

Holt    Manufacturing    Co Peoria,     111. 

Henry  &  Wright  Mfg.  Co Hartford,  Conn. 

Herschel-Spillman  Co Tonawanda,  N.  Y. 

Henry  &  Co.,  A.  H. Newark,  Ohio. 

Hotaling  Warner  Co Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Homestead  Valve  Mfg.  Co Homestead,  Pa. 

Heinoff  Machine  Co Astoria,  L.  I.,  N.  Y. 

Humphrey    Company ......,., Kalamazoo,    Mich. 


206  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Harry  Bros.  Co New  Orleans,  La. 

Hardsoeg  Wonder  Drill  Co Ottumwa,  Iowa. 

Holmes  Machinery  Co.,  E.  &  B Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Hail    &    Cotton Louisville,    Ky. 

Hightower  Box  &  Tank  Co Atlanta,  Ga. 

Harmony    Company Chicago,    111. 

Hobson    &    Company Easton,    Pa. 

Holyoke  Card  &  Paper  Company. Springfield,  Mass. 

Herzog,  Albert New  York,  N.  Y. 

Holmes  &  Blanchard  Co Boston,   Mass. 

Hoopes,  Bro.  &  Darlington,  Inc West  Chester,  Pa. 

Hazzard   Co.,   R.   P Gardiner,    Maine. 

Hendey   Machine   Co Torrington,   Conn. 

H.  &  B.  American  Machine  Co Pawtucket,  R.  I. 

Harrison  Safety  Boiler  Works . Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Heebner    &    Sons .Lansdale,    Pa. 

Harrington  Cutlery  Co Southbridge,  Mass. 

Hasselbarth,  C.  O. Albany,  N.  Y. 

Hamilton    Mfg.    Co Lowell,    Mass. 

Heublein  &  Bro.,  G.  F Hartford,  Conn. 

Heller    &    Brightly Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Hampden  Corundum  Wheel  Co Brightwood,  Mass. 

Hart  &  Hutchinson  Company New  Britain,  Conn. 

Harrington  &  Richardson  Arms  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Holt  &  Sons,  Lawrence  S .Burlington,  N.  C. 

Herman  &  Herman,  Inc. .  . New  York,  N.  Y. 

Hazel- Atlas  Glass  Co Wheeling,  W.  Va. 

Heide,  Henry : New  York,  N.  Y. 

Hodges  Fiber  Carpet  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Hunt  Co.,  Inc.,  C.  W New  York,  N.  Y. 

Haskell  &  Barker  Car  Co.,  Inc Chicago,  111. 

Hutchinson    Coal    Co .  Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Hankey  &  Co.,  Inc.,  A Rochdale,  Mass. 

Hisey-Wolf  Machine  Co Cincinnati,   Ohio. 

Hendrick   Mfg.   Co Carbondale,   Pa. 

Hood  Co.,  John Boston,  Mass. 

Hobart    Mfg.     Co Troy,     Ohio. 

H.  &  O.  Arms  Co Norwich,  Conn. 

Hess    Machine    Works Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Hoosier  Mfg.  Co New  Castle,  Ind. 

Harrington  &  King  Perforating  Co Chicago,   111. 

Heyden  Chemical  Works New  York,  N.  Y. 

Herschel   Mfg.    Co.,    R Peoria,    111. 

Hart  &  Hegeman  Mfg.  Co Hartford,  Conn. 

Howes  Co.,  S : Silver  Creek,  N.  Y. 

International     Harvester     Corp Chicago,     111. 

International    Shoe    Co St.    Louis,    Mo. 

Ideal   Concrete    Machinery   Co Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

Independent    Refining    Co.,    Ltd Oil    City,    Pa. 

Ellwood  Ivins'  Tube  Works Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Ives  Co.,  H New  Haven,  Conn. 

Industrial     Works Bay     City,     Mich. 

International   Leather   Co Boston,    Mass. 


APPENDIX  III  207 

Invin    Auger    Bit    Co Wilmington,     Ohio. 

International  Fruit  Products   Co Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

Illinois   Razor    Strop    Co Chicago,    111. 

International    Equipment    Co Boston,    Mass. 

International  Motor  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

International  Casement  Co. . Jamestown,   N.   Y. 

Iron   City   Tool  Works,  -Ltd. Pittsburgh,   Pa. 

International    Filter    Co Chicago,    111. 

Ideal  Electric  &  Mfg.  Co Mansfield,  Ohio. 

Illinois    Glass    Co Alton,    111. 

International    Register    Co Chicago,    111. 

Indiana  Refining  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Ingersoll  &  Bro.,  Robt.  H ; New  York,  N.  Y. 

Ingersoll   Milling   Machine  Co Rockford,   111. 

Inland    Machine    Works St.    Louis,    Mo. 

Independent    Pneumatic    Tool    Co Aurora,    111. 

International  Time  Recording  Co Endicott,  N.  Y. 

Ide  &  Co.,  George  P. .Troy,  N.  Y. 

Iglehart  Brothers Evansville,  Ind. 

Indiana   Moulding  &  Frame  Co Laporte,   Ind. 

Illinois    Watch    Case    Co Elgin,    111. 

Johnson  Soap  Co.,  Inc.,  S.  J Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Joubert  &  Goslin  Machine  &  Foundry  Co Birmingham,  Ala. 

Jones   &  Lamson   Machine   Co Springfield,   Vt. 

Jones   Hollow   Ware  Co ' Baltimore,   Md. 

Johns-Manville  Co.,  H.  W New  York,  N.  Y. 

Jeffrey  Manufacturing  Co Columbus,  Ohio. 

Jones  &  Laughlin  Steel  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Jenckes  Knitting  Machine  Co Pawtucket,  R.  I. 

Joliet    Mfg.    Co Joliet,    111. 

Johnston    Optical    Co Detroit,    Mich. 

Jefferson  Glass  Co Follansbee,  W.  Va. 

Jackson    Automobile    Co Jackson,    Mich. 

Jackson    Mills   Emery   Co.,    Inc Easton,    Pa. 

Jamison  Cold  Storage  Door  Co Hagerstown,  Md. 

Johnston  Harvester  Co Batavia,  N.  Y. 

James     Mfg.     Co Fort    Atkinson,     Wis. 

Judson   Mfg.   Co. . San   Francisco,   Cal. 

Keith  Shoe  Co.,  Preston  B Campello,  Mass. 

Kearney    &   Tuck    Co Milwaukee,    Wis. 

Knox  Gelatine  Co.,  Inc.,  Charles  B Johnstown,  N.  Y. 

Knowiton  Bros Watertown,  N.  Y. 

Knowles,  Taylor  &  Knowles  Co East  Liverpool,  Ohio. 

Keith  Car  &  Mfg.  Co Sagamore,  Mass. 

Knickerbocker    Case    Co Chicago,    111. 

Kochs  Co.,  Theo.  A Chicago,  111. 

Keever    Starch    Co Columbus,    Ohio. 

Kramer     Rotary     Harrow     Co Morton,     111. 

Krause  &  Managan  Lumber  Co.,  Ltd Westlake,  La. 

Kelly  &  McLaughlin,  Inc , Newark,  N.  J. 


208  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Kin Mfg.    Co Columbus,    Ohio. 

Kokomo    Electric    Co Kokomo,     Ind 

Ky    Wagon    Mfg.    Co Louisville,     Ky. 

Kidder  Press  Co Dover,  N.  H. 

Ken-  Turbine  Co Wellsville,  N.  Y. 

Knoll    Manufacturing    Co Reading,    Pa. 

Kuty  Co.,  G.  J Wilimantic,  Conn. 

Kelly    Spear    Co Bath,    Maine. 

Kennedy  Valve  Mfg.  Co Elmira,  N.  Y. 

King  Sewing  Machine  Co Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Keiser   &   Boasberg Buffalo,    N.   Y. 

Ketterlinus  Lithographic   Mfg.   Co Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Keystone  Watch  Case  Co Riverside,  N.  J. 

K.  &  B.  Co • Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Keller  Mechanical  Engr.  Co Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

King  &  Co.,  J.  B '. New  York,  N.  Y. 

Koken  Barbers'  Supply  Co St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Knight  Machinery  Co.,  W.  B .- St.  Louis,  Mo. 

King    Machine   Tool   Co Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

Kirby  Bonner  Lumber  Co Houston,  Texas. 

Karpen  &  Bros.,  S , New  York,  N.  Y. 

Kempsmith    Mfg.    Co Milwaukee,    Wis. 

Keith  Company,  Geo.  E Campello,  Mass. 

Kellogs  &  Miller Amsterdam,  N.  Y. 

Kellog  Toasted  Corn  Flake  Co ,:,;.; Battle  Creek,  Mich. 

Kissel     Motor     Car     Co Hartford,     Wis. 

Kalamazoo  Loose  Leaf  Binder  Co Kalamazoo,  Mich. 

Knox   Motors   Company Springfield,    Mass. 

Krebs  Pigment  &  Chemical  Co Newport,  Del. 

King  Foundry  Co St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

King  Paper  Co Kalamazoo,   Mich. 

Koban    Manufacturing    Co Milwaukee,    Wis. 

Kilbourn  &  Jacobs  Mfg.  Co Columbus,  Ohio. 

Lacleed-Christy  Clay  Products  Co St.  Louis,   Mo. 

Lyon   &   Healy Chicago,    111. 

Lamb-Fish  Lumber  Co Charleston,  Miss. 

Lexington-Howard  Co Connersville,  Ind. 

Lane    Mfg.    Co Montpelier,    Vt. 

Leland-Gifford  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Lobdell  Car  &  Wheel  Co Wilmington,  Del. 

Liberty  Motor  Car  Co Detroit,  Mich 

Lightwell  Steel  Sash  Co ! Newport,  Del. 

Long-Bell  Lumber  Co Beaumont,  Tex. 

Luitwieler  Pumping  Engine  Co. . Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Lake    Breeze    Motor Chicago,    111. 

Lawrence     Mfg.     Co Lowell,     Mass. 

Levi  Strauss  &  Co San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Lyon    Metallic    Mfg.    Co Aurora,    111 

Lanahan  &  Son,  Wm Baltimore,   Md. 

Lansing     Co .  .Lansing,     Mich. 

Lean  Mfg.  Co.,  Roderick Mansfield;   Ohio. 

Lane   Mfg.   Co Montpelier,   Vt. 


APPENDIX  III  209 

Light   Railway   Equipment   Co : Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Lidgerwood  Mfg.  Co Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Libby,    McNeill  &  Libby Chicago,   111. 

Lodge  &  Shipley  Machine  Tool  Co Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Lanston    Monotype    Machine    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Lehigh  Car,   Wheel  &  Axle  Works Catasauqua,  Pa. 

Lucas    Machine  Tool   Co Cleveland,   Ohio. 

Lipe,  W.  C Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Louisiana  Oil  Refining  Corp Shreveport,  La. 

Lackawanna    Leather    Co Hackettstown,    N.    J. 

Lawrence  &  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

LeRoi     Co Milwaukee,     Wis. 

LeBlond  Machine  Tool  Co.,  R.  K Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Lawley  &  Son  Corp.,  Geo Neponset,  Mass. 

Lincoln  Twist  Drill  Co Taunton,   Mass. 

LaBelle    Iron    Works Steubenville,    Ohio. 

Lapointe  Co.,  J.  N New  London,  Conn. 

Lauson  Mfg.  Co.,  John New  Holstein,  Wis. 

Lindsay    Light    Co Chicago,    111. 

Lowney  Co.,  Walter  M Boston,  Mass. 

Lewis-Hall  Iron  Works Detroit,   Mich. 

Lees-Bradner     Co Cleveland,     Ohio. 

LaResista  Corset  Co Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Long  &  Allstatter  Co Hamilton,  Ohio. 

Lauderdale    Cotton    Mills Meridian,    Miss. 

Little  Falls  Mfg.  Co Little  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Ludowici-Celadon    Co Chicago,     111. 

Lewis   &   Bros.  Co.,  John  T. . Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Lancaster  Tire  &  Rubber  Co Lancaster,  Ohio. 

Landis  Tool  Co Waynesboro,  Pa. 

Loose- Wiles  Biscuit  Co Kansas  City,    Mo. 

Luckett    Wake    Tobacco    Co Louisville,    Ky. 

Lester    Piano    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Lee  Tire  &  Rubber  Co Conshohocken,  Pa. 

Luptons   Sons   Co.,   David Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Leffel  &  Co.,   James Springfield,  Ohio. 

Lisenby    Mfg.    Co Fresno,    Cal. 

LaCrosse   Plow   Co LaCrosse,   Wis. 

Lawrence  Leather  Co.,  A.  C. Boston,  Mass. 

Lynchburg  Foundry  Co Lynchburg,  Va. 

Luce  Sugar  Cane  Harvester  Co.,  Inc Watertown,  Wis. 

Lupton's  Sons  Co.,  David Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Laboratory  Supply  Co Columbus,  Ohio. 

Lucey  Manufacturing  Corp : New  York,  N.  Y. 

Liggett  &  Myers  Tobacco  Co : New  York,  N.  Y. 

Likly  &  Co.,  Henry Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Modern    Tool    Co Erie,    Pa. 

Mather  Spring   Co Toledo,   Ohio. 

Mills     Novelty    Co Chicago,    111. 

McKay  &  Co.,  James Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Markham  Air  Rifle  Co Plymouth,  Mich 

Massachusetts  Breweries  Co Boston,  Mass. 

14 


210  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Monument  Pottery  Co Trenton,  N.  J. 

Morris   Machine  Works Baldwinsville,   N.  Y. 

Moorhead  Knitting  Co.,  Inc Harrisburg,  Pa. 

McConway  &  Torley  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Mt.  Vernon  Woodberry  Mills,  Inc Baltimore,  Md. 

Missouri  Belting  Co St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Motor  Products  Co Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 

Moore  Drop  Forging  Co Springfield,   Mass. 

MaCaskey    Register    Co , Alliance,    Ohio. 

Monarch   Machine  Tool  Co : Sidney,   Ohio. 

Milwaukee  Concrete  Mixer  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Metal  Specialties  Mfg.  Co Chicago,  111. 

Murchey  Machine  &  Tool  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

Myers  &  Bro.,  F.  E Ashland,  Ohio. 

Morgan    Engineering    Co Alliance,  Ohio. 

Maxwell  Motor  Sales  Corp Detroit,  Mich. 

Mianns  Motor  Works Stamford,  Conn. 

Mishawaka  Woolen  Mfg.  Co Mishawaka,  Ind. 

Mayer  Bros.  Co Mankato,  Minn. 

Mohawk    Rubber    Co Akron,    Ohio* 

Marion  Steam  Shovel  Co Marion,  Ohio. 

Marine   Compass  Co Bryantville,    Mass. 

Mummert-Dixon    Co , Hanover,     Pa. 

Mathew  Gravity  Carrier  Co Ellwood  City,  Pa. 

Marietta  Rug  Extractor  Co Marietta,  Ohio. 

Milholland  Machine  Co Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Milholland  Co.,  J.  &  J.  B Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Mclntosh  &  Seymour  Corp. . Auburn,  N.  Y. 

Metallic  Drawing  Roll  Co Indian  Orchard,  Mass. 

Mason    Machine   Works Taunton,    Mass. 

Menner  Chemical  Co.,  G Newark,  N.  J. 

Mac  Andrews  &  Forbes  Co Camden,  N.  J. 

Miner  Hillard  Milling  Co Wilkes  Barre,  Pa. 

Manhattan  Rubber  Mfg.  Co .  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Mark     Manufacturing     Co Chicago,  111. 

Matlack  Coal  &  Iron  Corp New  York,  N.  Y. 

McCord   Manufacturing   Co.,   Inc Detroit,    Mich. 

Massachusetts  Saw  Works Springfield,   Mass. 

Morse  Chain  Co Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

Miller,   DuBrul  &  Peters  Mfg.  Co. Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Mackintosh,  Hemphill  &  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Mesta  Machine  Company •...-:  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Marvin  &  Casler  Co Canastota,  N.  Y. 

Mechanical    Appliance    Co Milwaukee,    Wis. 

Maddock's  Sons  Co.,  Thomas Trenton,  N.  J. 

Moyer,    Walter    W .  .  ."Ephrata,    Pa. 

Macomber  &  Whyte  Rope  Co .- Kenosha,  Wis. 

Martel  Manufacturing  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Morris    Machine    Tool    Co Cincinnati,    Ohio. 

Merrimack    Mfg.    Co Lowell,     Mass. 

McDougall  Paint  Co.,  Inc .Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Matthews  &  Co.,  C.  J Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Mentholatum   Co, . ,  . . . . , ,..,......  .Buffalo,    N.   Y, 


APPENDIX  III  21 

Mundt  &  Sons,  Charles Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

Manhattan  Rubber  Mfg.  Co Passaic,  N.  J. 

Myers  Manufacturing  Co Camden,   N.  J. 

Mercer  Automobile  Co. Trenton,  N.  J. 

Majestic    Co'. Huntington,    Ind. 

Milton     Manufacturing     Co Milton,     Pa. 

McFell  Signal  Co. Chicago,   111. 

Meeky    Co.,    A Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Myers- Whaley    Co.,    Inc Knoxville,    Tenn. 

McElwain  Co.,  W.  H Boston,  Mass. 

Mersereau  Metal  Bed  Co Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

Malleable  Iron  Fittings  Co Branford,  Conn. 

Mecklenburg  Iron  Works Charlotte,  N.  C. 

Murphy  Varnish  Co Newark,  N.  J. 

Motor  Compressor  Co Newark,   N.  J. 

Modern     Machinery    Co •. Wilmington,  Del. 

Martell     Packings     Co .Elyria,     Ohio. 

Morgan  Co Oshkosh,   Wis. 

Morse  Aircraft  Corp.,  Thomas Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

Mitchell   Motors   Co.,    Inc Racine,    Wis 

Mitts    &    Merrill Saginaw,    'Mich. 

Modern    Engineering    Co St.    Louis,    Mo. 

Murray  Co Atlanta,  Ga. 

Myers  Co.,  Thomas  J Baltimore,  Md. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Monongahela  Tube  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Mason  Regulator  Co Boston,  Mass. 

New  Departure  Mfg.  Co Bristol,  Conn. 

New  England  Enameling  Co.,  Inc New  York,  N.  Y. 

Norton  Company Worcester,  Mass. 

National  Malleable  Castings  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Norton  Grinding  Co : Worcester,  Mass. 

Noble  &  Co.,  F.   H.. Chicago,   111. 

National  Scale  Co Chicopee  Falls,  Mass. 

Nordberg   Mfg.    Co Milwaukee,    Wis. 

Northern   Engineering   Works Detroit,    Mich. 

National    Ammonia    Co St.    Louis,    Mo. 

New  Jersey   Wire   Cloth  Co Trenton,   N.   J. 

National  Electric  Signaling  Co Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

North  Packing  &  Provision  Co. Somerville,  Mass. 

Novo   Engine   Co ,  .  .  .  .Lansing,    Mich. 

Napier  Saw  Works,  Inc , Springfield,  Mass. 

Niles  Bement  Pond  Co Plainfield,  N.  J. 

New  Castle  Leather  Co . New  York,  N.  Y. 

Newport  Rolling  Mill  Co Newport,  Ky. 

Nash,  Inc.,  Dane  H Millington,  N.  J. 

Nugent  &  Co.,  Wm.  W Chicago,  111. 

Northern  Equipment  Co Erie,  Pa 

Noyes  Machine  Co South  Portland,  Maine. 

National  Radiator  Co Johnstown,  Pa 

Notaseme    Hosiery    Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

National  Marking  Machine  Co Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


212  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

North  Wayne  Tool  Co Hallowell,  Maine. 

National  Acme  Co . Cleveland,  Ohio. 

New  Process   Gear  Corp Syracuse,   N.   Y. 

Nagel  &  Co.,  W.  R ' Paducah,  Ky. 

National    Alloy    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

National   Equipment   Co Springfield,    Mass. 

National  Brake  Co -. Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

National  Metal  Molding  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

North    Bros.    Mfg.    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

New  Britain  Machine  Co New  Britain,  Conn. 

National  Cash  Register  Co Dayton,  Ohio. 

National   Automatic   Tool   Co Richmond,    Ind. 

Ney  Company,  J.   M Hartford,  Conn. 

National   Supply  Co Pittsburgh,    Pa. 

National  Brake  &  Electric  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Northwestern   Terra   Cotta   Co Chicago,    111. 

Newton  Falls  Mfg.  Co Newton  Falls,  Ohio. 

Northwestern  Chemical  Co Marietta,  Ohio. 

Nelson  Valve  Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

National  Tool  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

New   Way   Motor   Co Lansing,    Mich. 

New  York  Engineering  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

North  Bangor  Slate  Co. . Bangor,  Maine. 

New  Jersey  Zinc  Co New  York,  N.  Y 

Oat  &  Sons,   Joseph Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Otis  Elevator  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Ott    Grinder    Co Indianapolis,    Ind. 

Oliver  Machinery  Co Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

O'Neill    Machine    Co Toledo,    Ohio. 

Oliver  Mfg.  Co.,  W.  W..  . .  . Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Osia  Ouken  Co Cincinnati,   Ohio. 

Orona  Manufacturing  Co '. Boston,   Mass. 

O.  K.  Mfg.  Co Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Otis  Steel  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Owens  Co.,  J.  L Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Oliver  Chilled  Plow  Works South  Bend,  Ind. 

Ohio    Suspender    Co Mansfield,   Ohio. 

Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Pairpoint  Corporation New  Bedford,  Mass. 

Pike  Manufacturing  Co Pike,  N.  H. 

Pelzer  Mfg.  Co '. Pelzer,  S.  C. 

Pittsburgh  Steel  Products  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Plumb,   Inc.,   Fayette  R Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Pittsburgh  Filter  Mfg.  Co ,  .  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Postum  Cereal  Co Battle  Creek,  Mich. 

Pacific   Lumber    Co San    Francisco,    Cal. 

Palmer  Co.,   I.   E Middletown,   Conn. 

Pacific  Creosoting  Co Seattle,  Wash. 

Parlin  &  Oroidorff  Co Canton,    111. 

Perkins   &   McNeely Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Pratt   Food  Co Philadelphia,   Pa. 


APPENDIX  III  213 

Prouty  &  Co.,  Inc.,  Isaac Spencer,  Mass. 

Pennsylvania    Optical    Co Reading     Pa. 

Pittsburgh  Iron  &  Steel  Foundries  Co Midland,  Pa. 

Pennsylvania  Engineering  Works New  Castle,   Pa. 

Pittsburgh  Electric  Specialties  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Paiste   Co.,   H.   T Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Pabst  Brewing  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Packard   Co.,    M.    A Brockton,    Mass. 

Philadelphia   Quartz    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Penn  Tobacco  Co Wilkes  Barre,  Pa. 

Pawtucket  Mfg.  Co Pawtucket,  R.  I. 

Pilling   &   Crane Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Penn   Engineering   Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Parkesburg    Iron    Co Parkesburg,    Pa. 

Powell  Machine  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Pittsburgh  Crushed  Steel  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Port  Huron  E.  &  T.  Co ."• Port  Huron,  Mich. 

Pressed  Prism  Plate  Glass  Co Morgantown,  W.  Va. 

Pierce  Machine  Tool  Co Chicago,  111. 

Pennsylvania  Wire  Glass  Co Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Patton  Paint  Co Newark,  N.  J. 

Plumpton   Press Norwood,    Mass. 

Parker  Pen  Co Janesville,  Wis. 

Pratt  &  Whitney  Co Hartford,  Conn 

Pittsburgh  Sheet  &  Tin  Plate  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa, 

Parish    Manufacturing    Co. .  . Reading,    Pa. 

Plymouth  Cordage  Co N.  Plymouth,  Mass. 

Phillips  Pressed  Steel  Pulley  Works Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Paper  Manufacturer's  Co Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Paxson  Co.,  J.  W Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Persons- Arter  Machine  Co Worcester,   Mass. 

Puritan  Soap  Co Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Pavania  Oil  Co , Warren,  ^Pa. 

Pittsburgh  Screw  &  Bolt  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Pittsburgh  Forge  &  Iron  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Parish  &  Bingham  Co Cleveland,   Ohio. 

Pittsburgh  Pneumatic  Co Canton,  Ohio. 

Pecora    Paint    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Pierce  Co.,  Wm.  B Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Porter   H.    K Everett,    Mass. 

Patch,   A.   H Clarksville,   Tenn. 

Parsons  Co Newton,  Iowa. 

Phillips  &  Buttorff  Mfg.  Co Nashville,  Tenn. 

Piqua  Handle  &  Mfg.  Co _ Piqua,  Ohio. 

Pyrolin   Co Fort   Dodge,    Iowa. 

Pennsylvania    Sugar    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Pratt  Chuck  Co • Frankfort,  N.  Y. 

Pickering  Governor  Co Portland,  Conn. 

Pitman  Co.,   Geo.  W Denison,   Texas. 

Porter,  Co.,  H.  K Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Plant  Co.,  Thomas  G Boston,    Mass. 

Peck,  Stow  &  Wilcox  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Paige-Detroit  Motor  Car  Co Detroit,    Mich. 


214  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Pittsburgh  Steel  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Penberthy  Injector  Co Detroit,   Mich. 

Pittsburgh  Valve,  Foundry  &  Const.  Co Pittsburgh;  Pa. 

Pilling  Brass  Co Waterbury,  Conn. 

Pittsburgh-Des   Moines  Steel  Co Pittsburgh,   Pa. 

Pawling  &  Harnischfeger  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Primes  Chemical  Co Primos,  Pa. 

Page  Needle  Co Chicopee  Falls,  Mass. 

Peerless    Tube   Co Bloomfield,    N.  J. 

Proudfit  Loose  Leaf  Co Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Pioneer  Corporation Chicago,  111. 

Progressive  Shoe  Machinery  Co Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Paris    Medicine    Co St.    Louis,    Mo. 

Precision    Instrument    Company Detroit,    Mich. 

Powers  Mining  Machine  Co. .  .  .  ; Cudahy,  Wis. 

Quaker  City  Chocolate  &  Confectionery  Co. .  . Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Quaker  City  Iron  Works Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Royersford  Foundry  &  Machine  Co.,  Inc Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Rome  Manufacturing  Co Rome,  N.  Y. 

Root  Co.,  A.  I Medina,  Ohio. 

Reed  &  Prince  Mfg.  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Reynolds  Tobacco  Co.,  R.  J Winston-Salem,  N.  C. 

Raybestos    Co Bridgeport,    Conn. 

Rockford   Lathe    &    Drill    Co Rockford,    111. 

Rice  &  Hutchins Boston,  Mass. 

Rochester  Stamping  Co Rochester,   N.   Y. 

Rhoades  &  Sons,  J.  E Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Rochester  Spectacle  Co Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Rossendale  Reddaway  Belting  &  Hose  Co Newark,  N.  J. 

Ritter  Dental  Mfg.  Co Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Ruud    Manufacturing    Co Pittsburgh,    Pa. 

Rowe  Motor  Mfg.  Co Downingtown,  Pa. 

Ramapo  Iron  Works Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Rare    Metals   Export   Co North   Chicago,    111. 

Rueping  Leather  Co.,    Fred Fond  du  Lac,  Wis. 

Ridgely  Trimmer  Co Springfield,  Ohio. 

Roe  Stephens  Mfg.  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

Rowe  Calk  Co Plantsville,  Conn. 

Reading  Standard  Co Reading,   Pa. 

Reliance  Electric  &  Engineering  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Rueckheim   Bros.   &  Eckstein Chicago,   111. 

Rumsey  Pump  Co.,  Ltd Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Regina  Hosiery  Mfg.  Co Haw  River,  N.  C. 

Reeves  Bros.  Co Alliance,  Ohio. 

Reliance  Gauge  Column  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Reading    Hardware    Co Reading,    Pa. 

Root  Co.,  C.  J Bristol,  Conn. 

Rome-Turney  Radiator  Co .  . Rome,  N.  Y. 

Reed   Co.,  Francis Worcester,    Mass. 

Roto    Co Hartford,     Conn. 

Ross  Valve  Mfg.  Co Troy,   N.   Y. 


APPENDIX  III  215 

Royal  Typewriter  Co.,  Inc New  York,  N.  Y. 

Ransome  Concrete  Machinery  Co Dunellen,  N.  J. 

Roobling's  Sons  Co.,  John  A Trenton,  N.  J. 

Robinson  &  Son  Co.,  Wm.  C Baltimore,  Md. 

Reid  Gas  Engine  Co.,  Joseph Oil  City,  Pa. 

Reed-Prentice  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Rockford  Drilling  Machine  Co Rockford,   111. 

Remington  Typewriter  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Russell  Burdsall  &  Ward  Bolt  &  Nut  Co : .  ^  i . . .  Port  Chester,  N.  Y. 

Roy  &  Son  Co.,  B.  S Worcester,  Mass 

Remington  Machine  Co Wilmington,  Del. 

Richardson  Phenix  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Richardson  Scale  Co Passaic,  N.  J. 

Reo  Motor  Car  Co Lansing,  Mich. 

Raymond  Bros Chicago,  111. 

Seven  Shipyard Dumbarton,  Scotland. 

Snyder,  Inc.,  H.  S.  &  M.  W Boston,  Mass. 

Standard   Pressed   Steel   Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Spalding  &  Bros.,  A.  G New  York,  N.  Y. 

Sleeper  &  Hartley,  Inc Worcester,  Mass. 

Sandwich  Mfg.  Co Sandwich,  111. 

Stutz  Motor  Car  Co.  of  America,  Inc.-. Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Southern  Pine  Co.  of  Georgia Savannah,   Ga. 

Sparks  Withington  Co Jackson,  Mich. 

Southern  States  Lumber  Co. Pensacola,   Fla. 

Stumbay  Carlson  Tel.  Mfg.  Co Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Seneca  Iron  &  Steel  Co Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Stow  Mfg.  Co Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

Springfield  Boiler  Co Springfield,  111. 

Steinle  Turret  Machine  Co Madison,  Wis. 

Seattle  Frog  &  Switch  Co Seattle,  Wash. 

Security   Insert  Co Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Smith  Engineering  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Standard    Refractories    Co Claysburg,    Pa. 

Superior  Seating  Co . . . Muskegon,  Mich. 

Sprague  Co.,  J.  P Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Spencer  Turbine  Cleaner  Co Hartford,  Conn. 

St.  Louis  Machine  Tool  Co St.  Louis,  Mo. 

South  Porto  Rico  Sugar  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Scranton  Stove  Works Scranton,  Pa. 

Smokeless  Fuel  Co Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Safety  Emery  Wheel  Co Springfield,  Ohio. 

Sheldon  Axle  &  Spring  Co ,.,.., Wilkes  Barre,  Pa. 

Sharpless  Specialty  Co West  Chester,  Pa. 

Schramm  &  Son,  Chris.  D Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Sulpho-Naphthol  Co Boston,  Mass. 

Sprague   Meter  Co Bridgeport,   Conn. 

Standard  Sanitary  Mfg.  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Southern  Products  Co Dallas,  Texas. 

Steptoe   Co.,   John Cincinnati,   Ohio. 

Sipp   Machine  Co Paterson,   N.   J. 

Simonds  Mfg.  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


216  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Schwing  Lumber  &  Shingle  Co.,  Ltd Plaquemine,  La. 

Sessions  &  Co.,  J.  H Bristol,  Conn. 

Sangamo  Electric  Co Springfield,  111. 

Stowell  Co So.  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

South  Bend  Chilled  Plow  Co. .  .  . . South  Bend,  Ind. 

Smith,   Drum  &  Co Philadelphia,  .Pa. 

Sharon  Steel  Hoop  Co Sharon,  Pa. 

Sheldon  &  Co.,  G.  W Chicago,  111. 

Sterling   Motor  Truck  Co Milwaukee,   Wis. 

Springfield  Machine  Tool  Co Springfield,  Ohio. 

Standard  Knitting  Mills Knoxville,  Tenn. 

Schwager  Nettleton  Mills Seattle,  Wash. 

Shredded  Wheat  Co Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Sail  Mountain  Co Chicago,  111. 

Sellers  &  Co.,  Inc.,  Wm Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Scripps-Booth  Corp New  York,  N.  Y. 

Speer  Carbon  Co St.  Mary's,  Pa. 

Spencer  Lens  Co Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Sperry  Flour  Co San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Saxon  Motor  Car  Corp Detroit,  Mich. 

Slocomb  &  Co.,  Inc.,  F.  F Wilmington,  Del. 

Standard    Paper    Mfg.    Co Richmond,    Va. 

Simmons  Co.,  John New  York,  N.  Y. 

Shepard  Electric  Crane  &  Hoist  Co Montour  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Sayre  &  Fisher  Co Sayreville,   N.  J. 

Sharp   Spark   Plug   Co Cleveland,    Ohio. 

Standard  Underground  Cable  Co. Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Skinner    Engine    Co Erie,     Pa. 

Service    Motor  Truck   Co Wabash,   Ind. 

Stevens  Arms  Co.,  J Chicopee  Falls,  Mass. 

Standard   Motor  Truck  Co Pittsburgh,   Pa. 

Starrett  Co.,  L.  S . Athol,  Mass. 

Sanderson    Cyclone   Drill   Co Orrville,    Ohio. 

Steel  City  Electric  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Scott    Paper    Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Seamans   &  Cobb   Co Boston,    Mass. 

Stamford  Mfg.  Co Stamford,  Conn. 

Smooth-On  Mfg.  Co. . Jersey  City,   N.  J. 

Smith  &  Bros.  Typewriter  Co.,  L.  C Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Stone,  Timlow  &  Co.,  Inc West  Medford,  Mass. 

Skinner  Chuck  Co New  Britain,  Conn. 

Stewart   Warner  Speedometer  Corp Chicago,   111. 

Signal  Motor  Truck  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

South   Bend  Lathe   Works South   Bend,   Ind. 

Steppocher  &  Bro.,  Inc.,  W.  M Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Southern  Textile  Machinery  Co Paducah,  Ky. 

Spirella  Co.,  Inc Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Seaboard  Rice  Milling  Co Galveston,  Texas. 

Standard  Engineering  Co Ellwood  City,    Pa. 

Schrafft  &  Sons,  Corp.,  W.  F Boston,  Mass. 

Swaby    Mfg.    Co Chicago,    111. 

Standard  Oil  Cloth  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Selig   Polyscope   Co Chicago,    111. 


APPENDIX  III  217 

Santa  Cruz  Portland  Cement  Co :  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Seneca  Falls  Mfg.  Co Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Smith  Co.,   T.  L Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Standard    Separator   Co Milwaukee,    Wis. 

Schwab  &  Sons  Co.,  R.  J Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Silver  Steel  Casting  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Shinola  Co Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Stock  Kylite  Grease  &  Oil  Co.,  G.  B Port  Huron,  Mich. 

Syracuse  Industrial  Gas  Co Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Smith,   Kline  &  French  Co Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Spencer  Wire  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Standard  Woven  Fabric  Co Walpole,  Mass. 

Seydel  Mfg.  Co Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

Springdale  Finishing  Co.,  Inc Canton,  Ohio. 

Safety  Wire  Gas  Globe  Co Columbus,  Ohio. 

Stearns  &  Co.,  Frederick Detroit,   Mich. 

Swinehart  Tire  &  Rubber  Co Akron,  Ohio. 

St.  Louis  Label  Works St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Stover   Mfg.   &  Engine  Co Freeport,   111. 

Standard  Tin  Plate  Co Canonsburg,   Pa. 

Slipper  City  Wood  Heel  Co Haverhill,  Mass. 

Star    Mfg.    Co Carpenters  ville,    HI. 

Simplex  Electric  Heating  Co. . Cambridge,  Mass. 

Stephens  Adamson  Mfg.  Co Aurora,  111. 

Stewart  Iron  Works  Co Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Stehling  Co.,   Chas.   H Milwaukee,   Wis. 

Sibley   Machine  Co South  Bend,  Ind. 

Stevenson  Door  Co.,   C.  S Chester,  Pa. 

Snow  Construction  Co.,  T.  W Chicago,  111. 

Stroud   &  Co.,   E.   H . Chicago,   111. 

Samson  Cordage  Works Boston,  Mass. 

Sligo  Iron  &  Steel  Co Connellsville,  Pa. 

Sturtevant    Mill    Co Boston,    Mass. 

Standard  Varnish  Works New  York,  N.  Y. 

Stoll  Co.,  D.  H Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Shantz,  Inc.,  M.  B Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Schmidt  &  Ault  Paper  Co York,  Pa. 

Southern   Embroidery   Co Baltimore,    Md. 

Swift  &  Co Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

Sun    Motor    Car    Co Elkhart,    Ind. 

Scovill  Manufacturing  Co Waterbury,  Conn. 

Stetson  Shoe  Co South  Weymouth,  Mass. 

Sullivan  Lumber  Co.,  Alger Century,  Florida. 

Star  Drilling  Machine  Co Akron,  Ohio 

Standard    Chemical    Co Canonsburg,    Pa. 

Standard  Alloys  Co Canonsburg,  Pa. 

Specialty    Mfg.    Co St.    Paul,    Minn. 

Stedman's   Foundry   &   Machine   Works Aurora,    Ind. 

Simmons  Machine  Co.,  Inc Albany,  N.  Y. 

Taylor  Instrument  Companies Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Taft  Peirce  Mfg.  Co Woonsocket,  R.  I. 

Transmission  Ball  Bearing  Co.,  Inc Buffalo,  N.  Y. 


218  '      THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Turner,  Day  &  Woolworth  Handle  Co ! New  York,  N.  Y. 

Triumph  Mfg.  Co Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Thompson    Grinder    Co Springfield,    Ohio. 

Thomas  &  Sons  Co.,  R East  Liverpool,  Ohio. 

Thompson  &  Co.,  James New  York,  N.  Y. 

Thew    Automatic    Shovel    Co Lorain,    Ohio. 

Todd  Protectograph  Co Rochester,   N.   Y. 

Torris    Wold    &    Co Chicago,    111. 

Troy    Engine    &    Machine    Co Troy,    Pa. 

Tropical  Paint  &  Oil  Co Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Tanners  Extract  Co Charleston,  W.  Va. 

Tuthill    Spring    Co Chicago,     111. 

Terrell's  Equipment  Co Michigan,  Mich. 

Temperton   Kenly   &   Co Chicago,  111. 

Thompson    Type    Machine    Co. .  , Chicago,    111. 

Thum  Co.,  O.  &  W Grand  Rapids,   Mich. 

Taylor  &  Co.,  Inc.,  N.  G v.Q;  J^K- Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Townsend  &  Co.,  E.M New  York,  N.  Y. 

Turner  &  Seymour  Mfg.  Co • Torrington,  Conn. 

Tyer    Rubber    Co Andover,    Mass. 

Taylor  Wilson  Mfg.  Co McKees  Rocks,  Pa. 

Treadwell     Engineering    Co Easton,     Pa. 

Thomson   Machine  Co. .  . . .  Belleville,  N.  J. 

Torner  Co.,  A.  J Boston,  Mass. 

Taylor  Co.,   Inc.,  J.   P Richmond,   Va. 

Texas  Co. .  1 New  York,  N.  Y. 

Taylor- Wharton  Iron  &  Steel  Co r High  Bridge,  N.  J. 

Troy  Laundry  Machinery  Co.,  Ltd. New  York,  N.  Y. 

Trump  Bros.   Machine  Co Wilmington,   Del. 

Tucker,  W.  W.  &  C.  F Hartford,  Conn. 

Taunton-New  Bedford  Copper  Co New  Bedford,  Mass. 

Tuck   &  Co.,    G.   O Louisville,   Ky. 

Treman,  King  &  Co. .  .  . Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

Upson  Co Lockport,  N.  Y. 

Upson  Nut  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

United  States  Glass  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Union   Foundry   Works Chicago,    111. 

United  Shoe  Machinery  Co Boston,  Mass. 

Union  Electric  Co Trenton,  N.  J. 

Union  Special  Machine  Co Chicago,  111. 

United  Engineering  &  Foundry  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Universal  Bottle  Washer  Co Detroit,  Mich. 

U.  S.  Radiator  Corp Detroit,  Mich. 

United  States  Window  Glass  Co Morgantown,  W.  Va. 

United   States   Glue  Co Milwaukee,   Wis. 

Uniform  Dyeing  Machine  Co Groveville,  N.  J. 

Union  Switch  &  Signal  Co Swissvale,   Pa. 

Universal  Boring  Machine  Co Hudson,  Mass. 

Union   Casene  Co Philadelphia,   Pa. 

Union  Electric  Co Pittsburgh,   Pa. 

United  States  Smelting  Co Boston,  Mass. 

United  7:sce  Dye  Works Lodi,  N.  J. 


APPENDIX  III  219 

United   Refining   Co Warren,    Pa. 

United  States  Stamping  Co Moundsville,  W.  Va. 

U.  S.  Gutta  Percha  Paint  Co Providence,  H.  I. 

United  States  Envelope  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

United  Lace  &  Braid  Mfg.  Co Providence,  R.  I. 

Universal  Grinsing  Machine  Co Fitchburg,  Mass. 

Union  Bag  &  Paper  Corp New  York,  N.  Y. 

United  Filters  Corp Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

United  Vacuum  Appliance  Co Connersville,  Ind. 

Union   Oil  Company  of  California. Los  Angeles,   Cal. 

Universal  Crusher  Co Cedar  Rapids,   Iowa. 

Vilter  Mfg.  Co Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Vulcan  Last  Co Portsmouth,  Ohio. 

Vermont    Farm    Machinery    Co Bellows    Falls,    Vt. 

Vim    Motor    Truck   Co Philadelphia,    Pa. 

Voght  .Machine   Co.,    Hy Louisville,    Ky. 

Victor  Animatograph  Co Davenport,  Iowa. 

Van  Sicklen  Co Elgin,  111. 

Van  Blerck  Motor  Co Monroe,  Mich. 

Valley    Iron    Works    Co Appleton,    Wis. 

Vaughan   &   Bushnell   Mfg.    Co Chicago,    111. 

Venoble   Tobacco  Co Durham,   N.   C. 

Vitrified    Wheel    Co Westfield,    Mass. 

Vacuo-Static  Carbon  Co Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Victor  Sporting  Goods  Co Springfield,  Mass. 

Valley  Paper  Co Holyoke,  Mass. 

Victor   Balata   &   Textile   Belting   Co Easton,    Pa. 

Ventnor  Boat  Works Atlantic  City,  N.  J. 

Wood  Iron  &  Steel  Co.,  Alan Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Webster  &  Co.,  Warren Camden,  N.  J. 

Wood's  Sons  Co.,  T.  B Chambersburg,  Pa. 

Will  &  Baumer  Co Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Western  Tool  &  Mfg.   Co Springfield,   Ohio. 

West  Leechburg  Steel  Co Pittsburgh,   Pa. 

Whitaker-Glessner  Co Wheeling,  W.  Va. 

Wadsworth,  Howland,  &  Co Maiden,  Mass. 

Whitternore  Bros.  Corp Cambridge,  Mass. 

Weed  Co.,  Inc.,  Lewis  M Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

Woodward  &  Powell  Planer  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Wichita  Falls  Window  Glass  Co Wichita  Falls,  Texas. 

West  Virginia  Timber  Co Charleston,  W.  Va. 

White  Shoe  Co.,  E.  E Bridgewater,  Mass. 

Wilbur  &  Sons,  Inc.,  H.  O Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Western  Electric  Co.,  Inc New  York,  N.  Y. 

Wood  &  Brooks  Co.. Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Welded  Steel  Barrel  Corp Detroit,  Mich. 

Winona  Wagon  Co Winona,  Minn. 

Weston  Electrical  Instrument  Co Newark,  N.  J. 

Wyeth  Hardware  &  Mfg.  Co St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

Winkler  &  Son,  Co.,  Isaac Cincinnati,  Ohio 

Wheeler-Schabler  Carburetor  Co , , , Indianapolis,  Ind. 


220  THE  METRIC  FALLACY 

Willingham    &    Co.,    Inc.,    W.    A Danville,    Va. 

Wisconsin    Electric    Co Racine,    Wis. 

Windle,  J.  E Worcester,  Mass. 

Willard  Storage  Battery  Co Cleveland,   Ohio. 

Wood  Shovel  &  Tool  Co Piqua,  Ohio. 

Wood  M.  &  R.  M.  Co.,  Walter  A Hoosick  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Winsted    Hosiery    Co Winsted,    Conn. 

Weis    Mfg.    Co Monroe,    Mich. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan     Co Cleveland,     Ohio. 

Wilmot    Engineering    Co Hazelton,    Pa. 

West  Boylston  Mfg.  Co Easthampton,  Mass. 

White  &  Wyckoff  Mfg.  Co Holyoke,  Mass. 

Wilcox  &  White  Co Meriden,  Conn. 

Winchester  Optical  Co Horseheads,   N.  Y. 

Wellington  Machine  Co Wellington,   Ohio. 

Warren  Featherbone  Co Three  Oaks,  Mich. 

Wheland  Co Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

Worcester  Manufacturing  Co. . Worcester,  Mass. 

Winchell  &  Co.,  Inc.,  J.  H Haverhill,  Mass. 

Wickwire   Bros.,    Inc Cortland,   N.   Y. 

Wallace   Supplies   Mfg.   Co Chicago,   111. 

Witherby    Steel    Co Pittsburgh,    Pa. 

Waterbury  Clock  Co.  of  New  York New  York,  N.  Y. 

Westcott  Motor  Car  Co Springfield,  Ohio. 

Wisconsin    Chair    Co Port    Washington,    Wis. 

Woburn    Machine   Co '. Waburn,    Mass. 

Wayne  Oil  Tank  &  Pump  Co Fon;  Wayne,  Ind. 

White  Co.,  L.  &  J Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Wrenn  Paper  Co Middletown,  Ohio. 

Wilkes  Barre  Lace  Mfg.  Co Wilkes  Barre,  Pa. 

West  Penn  Steel  Co -. Brackenridge,  Pa. 

Wagner    Electric    Mfg.    Co St.    Louis,    Mo. 

Woodstock  Operating  Corp Anniston,   Ala. 

White    Co Cleveland,    Ohio. 

Winona     Malting     Co Chicago,     111. 

Whitlock  Cordage  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

Wagner    Co.,    Martin Baltimore,    Md. 

Wrigley,    Jr.,    Co.,    Wm. Chicago,    111. 

Warner  Bros.  Co. r New  York,  N.  Y. 

Wilder    &    Co Chicago,    111. 

Williams  Gauge  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Welsbach    Co Gloucester,     N.    J. 

Woonsocket  Machine  &  Press  Co Woonsocket,  R.  I. 

Wilson  &  Co New  York,  N.  Y. 

White  Sewing  Machine  Co Cleveland,   Ohio. 

Western     Felt     Works Chicago,     111. 

Walsh  &  Weidner  Boiler  Co Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

Waltham    Machine    Works Waltham,    Mass. 

Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Co , Wilmerding,   Pa. 

Warner-Quinlan  Asphalt  Co .  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Worthington  Pump  &  Machinery  Corp New  York,  N.  Y. 

Waterloo  Gas  Eng.  Co Waterloo,  Iowa. 

Wilmarth  &  Morman  Co Grand  Rapids,  Mich, 


APPENDIX  III  221 

\Vatxon-Stillman  Co Aldene,  N.  J. 

Worcester  Pressed  Steel  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Whitcomb-Blaisdell  Machine  Tool  Co Worcester,   Mass. 

Williams,    White   &   Co Moline,   111. 

Wilson,  Snyder  Mfg.  Co Pittsburgh,  Pa- 

Westinghouse  Electric  &  Mfg.  Co East  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Warner   &   Swasey   Co Cleveland,    Ohio. 

Wichita  Falls  Motor  Co Wichita  Falls,  Texas. 

Winchester  Repeating  Arms  Co New  Haven,  Conn. 

White  Enamel  Refrigerator  Co .  .St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Western     Clock     Co LaSalle,     111. 

Wolverine  Motor  Works,  Inc Bridgeport,  Conn. 

Warren  Tool  &  Forge  Co Warren,  Ohio. 

Wiard  Plow  Co Batavia,  N.  Y. 

Wenzell  Machine  Co.,  S.  S Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Wells  &  Son  Co Greenfield,  Mass. 

Wampole  &  Co.,  Inc.,  Henry  K Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Warren  Leather  Goods  Co Worcester,  Mass. 

Webster    Electric    Co Racine,  Wis. 

Whiting    Foundry    Equipment    Co Harvey,    111. 

Wood  Co.,  R.  D Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Williams   &  Co.,   C.   K Easton,   Pa. 

West  Point  Mfg.  Co West  Point,  Ga. 

Wocher  &  Son  Co.,  Max Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Werner   &   Pfleiderer   Co Saginaw,    Mich. 

York  Safe  &  Lock  Co ; York,  Pa. 

Yale  &  Towne  Mfg.  Co : New  York,  N.  Y. 

Young  &  Co.,  J.  S. Hanover,  Pa. 

York    Manufacturing   Co York,    Pa. 

Yawman  &  Erbe  Mfg.  Co Rochester,  N.  Y. 


INDEX 


Adams,  John  Quincy,  quotations  from, 

11,  153 
Adoption    no    more    than   introduction,- 

12 

partial  claimed  as  complete,  104,  129 
Air  brake  hose  couplings,  100 
Airy.  Sir  George  B.,  quotation  from,  154 
American     Institute    of    Weights    and 

Measures,  Council  of,  153 
American   Manufacturers  Export  Asso- 
ciation, convention  of,  75 
American  Metric  Association,  Council  of, 

153 
Amiens,     Chamber    of    Commerce    at, 

quotation  from,  2,  82 
Anglo-American  weights  and  measures, 

unification  of,  123,  150 
Areoplanes  and  the  metric  system,  132, 

182 

Argentina,  weights  and  measures  of ,  12 
Argument,    claiming  both  ends  of,   114 

for  metric  system  destroyed,  77 
Association,     resolutions    of     Canadian 

Manufacturers',  159 
Engine  Builders',  162 
Furniture,  163 
Machine  Tool  Builders'  ,173 
National  Manufacturers',  173 
National  Metal  Trades,  174 
Providence    Mechanical   Engineers, 

175 
Railway  Master  Mechanics,  154 


B 


Balbridge,  C.  W.,  quotation  from,  154 
Ball,  John  H.,  quotation  from,  155 
Bar  of  steel,  calculating  size  of,  102 
Bartlett,  M.  C.  Mr.,  quotation  from,  155 
Baskets,  story  of  the  berry,  133 
Bates,  C.  A.,  quotation  from,  155 
Belt  transmissions,  calculating,  103 
Berry  baskets,  story  of,  133 
Billings,  Chas.  E.,  quotation  from,  155 
Boat  and  shipbuilding  industry,  practice 
of,  9 


223 


Boilers,  calculating  strength  of,  104 
Bolivia,  weights  and  measures  of,  14 
Bond,  G.  M.,  quotation  from,  156 
Bowles,  Rear  Admiral,  quotation  from, 

156 
Bramwell,  Sir  Frederick,  quotation  from, 

156 

Brazil,  weights  and  measures  of,  14 
Briggs,  E.  R.,  quotation  from,  97 
Brisbane,  Arthur,  answered,  130 
British  Engineering  Standards  Associa- 
tion, 151 
Institution  of  Electrical  Engineers, 

resolutions  by,  160 
Parliamentary  Committees,  reports 

of,  80,  156 
reports    suppressed    by    the    Valve 

World,  145 

Brooks,  Frederick,  quotation  from,  148 
Brophy,  J.  P.,  quotation  from,  158 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Com- 
merce, quotations  from,  74 
Standards,  conversion  tables  of,  89 
Burlingame,  L.  D.,  quotation  from,  113, 

158 
Byron,  John  R.,  quotation  from,  158 

C 

Calculations,  economy  of  time  in,  158 
Canadian     Manufacturers     Association, 

resolutions  by,  159 
Canada,  weights  and  measures  of,  132 
Calculating  belt  transmissions,  103 

hydraulic  problems,  104 

moment  of  inertia,  105 

strenght  of  boilers,  104 

strength  of  I  beams,  105 

strength  of  pipe,  104 

strength  of  shafting,  103 

strength  of  steel  bars,  102 

weights,  104,  118 

Calculations   by      English   and   metric 
systems,  171 

in  Mexican  smelter,  116 

saving  time  of,  115 

with  dual  system,  115 
Cannon,  Hon.  Joseph  G.,  M.  C.,  quota- 
tion from,  159 


224 


INDEX 


Carat,  "metric, "  135 

Cardullo,  F.  E.,  quotation  from,  159 

Carpenter  shops,  practice  of,  8 

Chamber     of     Commerce    at    Amiens, 

quotation  from,  2,  82 
Changing,  reasons  for,  91 
Chemical  industry,  verdict  of,  87 
Chemistry  and  the  metric  system,  128 
Chile,  weights  and  measures  of,  15 
Claiming  both  ends  of  argument,  114 
Clark,  W.  A.  Graham,  quotations  from, 
14,  17,  18,  20,  21,  24,  26,  27,  28, 
29,  73 

Collier's  Weekly  answered,  130 
Collins,   Dr.   Jos.  V.  answered,  93,  119, 

129 

Colombia,  weights  and  measures  of,  17 
Committees,   reports  of  British   Parlia- 
mentary, 80,  156 
Compound  units,  88,  98 
Commerce  of  the  world  conducted  by  the 

English  system,  72 
Commerce    Reports,     quotations    from, 

20 
Compulsion  according  to  the  Valve  World, 

129 

advocated  by  metric  party,  147 
Confirmation  of  findings,  73 
Confusion,  no  truth  in  claim  for,  154 
Conjoint  Board  of  British  Scientific  Soci- 
eties, resolutions  by,  160 
Costa    Rica,   weights  and  measures  of, 

18 
Council  of  American  Institute  of  Weights 

and  Measures,  153 
American  Metric  Association,  153 
Couplings,  air  brake  hose,  100 
Cowles,  W.  B.,  quotation  from,  160 
Cuba,  weights  and  measures  of,  19 


D 


Dale,   Samuel  S.,   quotations  from,   90, 

121,  137,  144,  160 
Decimalization  of  weights  and  measures, 

126 
Department  of  Commerce,  confirmations 

from,  73 

Des  Anges,  H.  L.,  quotation  from,  161 
Diametral  pitch  gears,  112 
Difficulty,  physical,  108 

psychological,  108 
Dillon  bill,  quotation  from,  148 


Director  of  the   Bureau   of   Standards, 
quotations  from,  7,  14,  15,  17, 
18,  19,  20,  22,  24,  25,  27,  29,  30, 
74,  101,  128 
answered,  93 
Discussion  suppressed  by  Fred  R.  Drake, 

145 
by     National    Wholesale   Grocers' 

Association,  145 
by  Scientific  American,  136 
by  Valve  World,  145 

Dominican  Republic,  weights  and  meas- 
ures of,  20 
Doumergue,  Gaston,  quotation  from,  21, 

84 

Draftsman,  case  of,  114 
Drake,  Fred  R.,  answered,  130 
quotations  from,  92,  128,  147 
suppresses  discussion,  145 
Drill  industry,  practice  of,  8 
Du  Brul,  E.  F.,  quotation  from,  13 
Dupuis,  Prof.  N.  F.,  quotation  from,  161 


Earle,  Rear  Admiral,  quotation  from,  161 
Ecuador,  weights  and  measures  of,  20 
Editorials,  fake,  140 
Education  and  the  metric  system,  93,  128 

time  required  to  learn  weights  and 

measures,  95 

Electrical  industry  and  the  metric  sys- 
tem, 128 
Engine  Builders'  Association,  resolutions 

by,  162 
Engineering  Magazine,   quotation  from, 

161 

Engineering,  metric  system  in,  102 
English  and  Spanish  weights  and  meas- 
ures, unification  of,  5 
English  language  and  metric  system,  120 

units  in  Latin  America,  5,  7,  8 
Ericsson  Mfg.  Co.,  experience  of,  98 
Esterbrook,  H.  E.,  quotation  from,  162 
Evans,  James  W.,  quotation  from,  162 
Experience  of  architects,  189 

automobile  industry,  49 

carpenter  shops,  8 

chemical  industry,  87,  128 

electrical  industry,  128 

exporters,  34 

land  surveyors,  154 

lumber  industry,  8 


INDEX 


225 


Experience  of  machine  tool  industry,  55, 

85,  170,  173 
miscellaneous  manufacturers,  39,  43, 

69 

naval  architects,  169 
optical  industry,  59,  87 
railway  surveyors,  178 
ship  and  boat  building  industry,  59 
smelter  industry,  116 
steam  boiler  injector  industry,  86 
textile  industry,  3,  157 
twist  drill  industry,  8 
War  Department,  187 
watch  industry,  64,  86 
weather  observers,  165 
Experiments,  result  of  a  great  series  of,  11 
Exporting     manufacturers,      quotations 

from,  39,  49,  69 

Export  trade,  industries  that  make  no 
use  of  the  metric  system  in,  43 
the  metric  system  in,  34 


Fake  editorials,  140 

news  items,  140 
France  calls  for  English  standards,  163 

the  metric  system  in,  1,  83 

the  verdict  of,  83 
French  Minister  of  Commerce,  quotation 

from,  2,  82 

Fundamental  standards  of  U.  S.,  146 
Furniture  Association,  resolution  by,  163 


Gears,  diametral  pitch,  112 

German  influence,  6,  150 

Ginrich,  Chas.  S.,  quotation  from,  163 

Gould,  E.  Sherman,  quotation  from,  163 

Government  publications  and  the  metric 

system,  164 

Grain,  selling  by  weight,  6 
Great  Britain,  metric  system  in,  80 

metric  system  dead  in,  82 
Grocer  and  scientist,  108 
Grocery  trade,  92 
Guatemala,  weights  and  measures  of,  21 


Haiti,  weights  and  measures  of,  22 
Hallock  and  Wade,  quotation  from,  iv 

15 


Halsey,  F.  A.,  quotation  from,  164 
Hayes,  W.  N.,  quotation  from,  164 
Hazen,  H.  A.,  quotation  from,  165 
Hedging  by  metric  party,  111,  113 
Herschel,  Sir  John,  quotation  from,  165 
Higgins,  Samuel,  quotation  from,  165 
Hilgard,  J.  E.,  quotation  from,  166 
Holbrook,  F.  S.,  quotations  from,  27,  74 
Hooker,  Sir  Joseph,  quotation  from,  166 
Hydraulic  problems,  calculating,  104 


I-beams,  calculating  strength  of,  105 
Imagination,  specimen  flights  of  metric, 

128 
Industries  that  make  no  use  of  the  metric 

system  in  export  trade,  43 
Industry,  verdict  of  mechanical,  86 
Ingalls,  W.  R.,  quotation  from,  166 
Iron  Age,  quotation  from,  167 
Italy  calls  for  English  standards,    163 

K 

Keller,  K.  E.,  quotation  from,  167 
Kennelly,  Dr.  H.  E.,  answered,  93,  130 
Kent,  Dean  William,  quotation  from,  168 
Kilometer,  unknown  at  sea,  7 
Kunz,  Dr.  Geo.  F.,  answered,  128,  129, 

135,  169,  178,  182,  187 
quotations  from,  128,  129,  147 


Lamme,  B.  G.,  quotation  from,  169 
Land  measurements,   9,    110,    154,    166, 

179,  180,  187,  188 
Language,  English,   and  metric  system, 

120 

Latin  America  and  the  metric  system,  189 
machine  tools  in,  58 
the  verdict  of,  4,  85 
Laws  of  gradually  increasing  severity,  8 

reasons  why  compulsory  fail,  9 
Learning    the  metric   system,   time   re- 
quired for,  97 

Leland,  Henry  M.,  quotation  from,  169 
Library  Bureau,  quotation  from,  169 

verdict  of,  86,  98 

L' Industrie  Textile,  quotation  from,  3 
Linnard,  J.  H.,  quotation  from,  169 
Literature,  technical,  must  be  rewritten, 
103,  168,  178 


226 


INDEX 


Lodge,  William,  quotation  from,  170 
Lumber  and  timber  industry,  practice  of, 

8 
Lloyd-George,    Hon.    David,    quotation 

from,  170 


M 


Machine  shops,  practice  of,  8 
Machine  tools  in  Latin  America,  58 
Mahan,  Captain,  verdict  of,  98 
Manufacturers,     exporting,     quotations 

from,  39,  49,  69 

of  Cincinnati,  resolutions  by,  170 
Manufacturing,  metric  system  in,  100 

countres  have  not  changed,  11,  107 
Marine  measurements  and  sea  shipments, 

9 

Masons,  stone  and  brick,  practice  of,  8 
Mattice,  A.  M.,  quotations  from,  118,  171 
McEachren,  J.  W.,  answered,  144 
McFarland,  W.  M.,  quotation  from,  171 
Mechanical  industry,  the  verdict  of,  86 
Medicine  and  the  metric  system,  175 
Meier,  Col.  E.  D.,  quotation  from,  172 
Meigs,  Q.  M.  M.  C.,  quotation  from,  172 
Melville,  Rear  Admiral,  quotation  from, 

172 
Meteorological   service   and   the  metric 

system,  165,  176 
Metric  arguments  destroyed,  77 
carat,  135 
containers,  66 

equivalent  scheme,  79,  90,  110,  184 
equivalents,  examples  of,  iv,  110,  180 
imagination,  128 
News  answered,  132 
party  advocates  compulsion,  147 
party  hedge,  111,  113 
party  reverse  themselves,  164 
Metric  system  and  government  publica- 
tions, 164 
and  saving  time  in  calculations, 

115 

and  standard  shafting,  180 
and  the  English  language,  120 
and  the  interchange   of   railway 

cars,  165 

and  the  scientist,  108 
&ndtheValve World,  U4 
dead  in  Great  Britain,  82 
has  numerous  ratios,  135 
is  it  better  than  others,  83 


Metric  system,  in  architecture,  189 
in  areoplane  work,  132 
in  automobile  industry,  49,  182 
in  Canada,  132 
in  carpenter  shops,  8 
in  chemistry,  87,  128 
in  education,  93,  128 
in  electrical  industry,  128 
in  engineering,  102 
in  every  day  life,  90 
in  export  trade,  34 
in  France,  1,  83 
in  Great  Britain,  80 
in  land  surveying,  155 
in  Latin  America,  4,  85,  189 
in  literature  and  correspondence, 

71 

in  lumber  industry,  8 
in  machine  tool  industry,  55,  85, 

170,  173 

in  manufacturing,  100 
in  medicine,  39,  43,  69,  175 
in  naval  architecture,  169 
in  optical  industry,  59,  80 
in  our  military  equipment,  187 
in  production,  exclusive  use  of,  65 

no  use  of,  38 

partial  use  of,  48 
in  railway  freight  rates,  166 
in  railway  surveying,  178 
in  retail  and  wholesale  trade,  8 
in  ship  and  boat  building,  59 
in  shipments,  66 
in  smelter  industry,  116 
in  Spain,  155,  189 
in  the  customs,  162 
in  the  meteorological  service,  165, 

176 
in  steam  boiler  injector  industry, 

86 

in  taxation,  155 
in  textile  industry,  3,  1 57 
in  twist  drill  industry,  8 
in  war  work,  119,  131,  132,  161, 

169,  178,  182,  187 
in  weather  observations,  165 
ratios  added  by,  88 
time  required  to  learn,  97 
units  do  not  conform  to  definition, 

177 

in  watch  industry,  64,  86 
Mexican  smelter,  calculations  in,  116 
Mexico,  weights  and  measures  of,  23 


INDEX 


227 


Miller,  Adolph  W.,  answered,  130 

Spencer,  quotation  from,  173 
Molitor,  David,  quotation  from,  147 
Moment  of  inertia,  calculating,  105 
Morss,  Everett,  answered,  130 

N 

Names  and  addresses  of  those  who  an- 
swered the  domestic  question- 
naire, 194 
the  Latin  American  questionnaire, 

191 

Napoleon,  quotation  from,  174 
National  Association  of   Machine  Tool 

Builders,  resolutions  by,  173 
Foreign  Trade  Council,  convention 

of,  75 

Metal    Trades   Association,  resolu- 
tions by,  174 
of  Manufacturers,  resolutions  by, 

173 
Naval     architecture     and     the     metric 

system,  188 
News  items,  fake,  140 
Nicaragua,  weights  and  measures  of,  24 


Optical  industry,  the  verdict  of,  87 


Panama,  weights  and  measures  of,  25 
Parker,  Alfred  W.,  quotation  from,  148 
Parliamentary    committees,    reports    of 

British,  80,  156 
Partial  adoption  claimed   as   complete, 

104,  129 

Patterson,  C.  P.,  quotation  from,  174 
Peru,  weights  and  measures  of,  25 
Physical  difficulty,  108 
Pipe,  calculating  strength  of,  104 

fittings,  100,  106 

Porter,  Chas.  T.,  quotation  from,  174 
Porto  Rico,  weights  and  measures  of,  27 
Portugese  and  Spanish  weights  and  meas- 
ures, 4 
Potter's  Materia  Medica,  quotation  from, 

175 

Pritchett,  Dr.,  quotation  from,  101 
Providence    Association   of    Mechanical 

Engineers,  resolutions  by,  175 
Psychological  difficulty,  108 
Pulley  manufacturers,  106 


Q 


Questionnaire,  names  and  addresses  of 
those  who  answered  the  domestic, 

194 
those     who    answered    the     Latin 

American,  191 

to  American  Exporters,  form  of,  36 
to  Latin  America,  form  of,  32 


Railway  cars,   interchange   of  and    the 

metric  system,  165 
freight  rates  and  the  metric  system, 

166 

surveying  and  the  metric  system,  178 
Rational  weights  and  measures  program, 

150 

Ratios  added  by  metric  system,  88 
Real  estate  measurements,  9,  110,  154, 

166,  179,  180,  187,  188 
Redway,  Dr.  J.  W.,  quotation  from,  175 
Resolutions  by  Association  of  Railway 

Master  Mechanics,  154 
British  Scientific  Societies,  160 
British  Institution  of  Electrical  En- 
gineers, 160 

Canadian    Manufacturers    Associa- 
tion, 159 

Engine  Builders  Association,  162 
Furniture  Association,  163 
Manufacturers  of  Cincinnati,  170 
NationalAssociation  of  Machine  Tool 

Builders,  173 

National   Association  of    Manufac- 
turers, 173 
National  Metal  Trades  Association, 

174 

Providence  Association  of  Mechan- 
ical Engineers,  175 
Society    of    Naval    Architects    and 

Marine  Engineers,  180 
Society   of   Automotive   Engineers, 

182 
University    Convocation    of    New 

York,  186 

Retail  and  wholesale  trade,  metric  sys- 
tem in,  8 

Richards,  Howard,  answered,  130 
Robinson,  A.  S.,  quotation  from,  178 
Rolling  mills,  106 


228 


INDEX 


San  Salvador,  weights  and  measures  of, 

28 
Scientific  American  suppresses  discussion, 

136 
Scientific  men  are  impertinent,  160 

men's  heads  turned,  161 
Scientist  and  grocer,  108 

and  the  metric  system,  108 
Screw  threads,  111 

Seamstresses  and  tailors,  practice  of,  8 
Sea  shipments  and  marine  measurements, 

9 

Sellers,  Coleman,  quotation  from,  178 
Coleman,  Jr.,  quotation  from,  179 
William,  quotation  from,  179 
William  &  Co.,  quotation  from,  179 
Shaffroth  bill,  quotation  from,  148 
Shafting,  calculating  size  of,  103 

standard  and  the  metric  system,  180 
Sharpe,  Henry  D.,  quotation  from,  179 
Ship  and  boat  building  industry,  practice, 

of,  9 
"Simplifying"    weights    and    measures, 

88 

Society  of  Automotive  Engineers,  resolu- 
tions by,  182 

of  Naval  Architects  and  Marine  En- 
gineers, resolutions  by,  180 
Solvay  Process  Co.,  experience  of,  98 
Spain  and  the  metric  system,  155,  189 
Spanish  and  Anglo-American  weights  and 
measures,  unifying,  5,  123,  150 
and  Portugese  weights  and  measures, 

4 
Honduras,  weights  and  measures  of, 

28 

Spear,  Ellis,  quotation  from,  180 
Specimen  flights  of  the  metric  imagina- 
tion, 128 

Spencer,  Herbert,  quotation  from,  84,  181 
Standards  Association,  British  Engineer- 
ing, 151 

Standards,  fundamental,  of  U.  S.,  146 
Steam  boiler  injector  industry,  the  ver- 
dict oi,  86 

Steel,  calculating  size  of  bar  of,  102 
Stevenson,  Hon.  J.  C.,  M.  P.,  quotation 

from,  183 
Stevens,    Prof.   J.    Le   Conte,  quotation 

from,  75 
Story  of  the  berry  baskets,  133 


Stratton,  Dr.  S.  W.,  quotations  from  7, 
14,  15,  17,  18,  19,  20,  22,  24,  25, 
27,  29,  30,  74,  101,  128 
answered,  93 

Suplee,  H.  H.,  quotation  from,  183 
Suppression  of  facts  by  the  Valve  World, 

145,  146 

of  discussion  by  Fred  R.  Drake,  145 
by  the  National  Wholesale  Grocer 

Association,  145 
by  the  Scientific.  American,  136 
Sweet,  Dr.  John  E.,  quotation  from,  184 


Taxation,  metric  system  in,  155 
Tables,  technical,  must  be  recalculated, 

104 

Tailors  and  seamstresses,  practice  of,  8 
Taylor,  F.  W.,  quotation  from,  184 
Technical  literature  must  be  rewritten, 
103,  168,  178 

tables  must  be  recalculated,  104 
Textile  industry,  experience  of,  3,  157 
Thompson,  G.  E.  M.,  answered,  128 

Hon.  R.  W.,  quotation  from,  184 
Tourists,  observations  of,  7 
Towne,  Henry  R.,  questionnaire  of,  21, 
22,  74 

quotation  from,  186 
Twist  drill  industry,  practice  of,  8 


U 


Unification  of  Anglo-American  and  Span- 
ish weights  and  measures,  5, 
123,  150 

Uniformity  in  United  States  and  Great 
Britain  alone,  185 

Units,  compound,  98 

University  convocation  of  New  York, 
resolutions  by,  186 

Uruguay,  weights  and  measures  of,  7,  9, 
29 


Valve  World  and  compulsion,  129,  149 

answered,  1146,  130,  144 

suppresses  facts,  145 
Venezuela,  weights  and  measures  of,  30 
Verrill,  A.  Hyatt,  confirmation  from,  73 


INDEX 


229 


W 


Wade  and   Hallock,   Professors,   quota- 
tions from,  iv 

War  Department,  quotations  from,  187 
War  work  and  the  metric  system,  129, 

131,  132,  161,  169,  178,  182,  187 
Watch  industry,  verdict  of,  86 
Way,  E.  O.,  quotations  from,  132,  187 
Weights  and  Measures,  council  of  Ameri- 
can Institute  of,  153 
American  Metric  Association, 

153 
of  Argentina,  12 

Bolivia,  14 

Brazil,  14 

Chile,  15 

Colombia,  17 

Costa  Rica,  18 

Cuba,  19 

Dominican  Republic,  20 

Eastern  Hemisphere,  122 

Ecuador,  20 

Guatemala,  21 

Haiti,  22 

Mexico,  23 

Nicaragua,  24 

Panama,  25 

Peru,  25 

Porto  Rico,  27 

San  Salvador,  28 


Weights  and  measures,  of  Spanish  Hon- 
duras, 28 
Uruguay,  7,  9,  29 
Venezuela,  30 
Western  Hemisphere,  121 
the  world,  122,  125,  150 
decimalization  of,  126 
our  English,  121 
program,  rational,  150 
"simplifying,"  88 
time  required  to  learn,  95 
transfer  of  by  industries,  59 
unification     of     Anglo-American, 

123,  150 

Weights,  calculating,  104,  118 
Welliver,  Judson  C.,  answered,  130 
Wells,  Dr.  William  C.,  answered,  78 

quotation  from,  130 
Wiley,  Dr.  Harvey  W.,  answered,  129 
Willans  &  Robinson,  experience  of,  86,  97 
Williamson,  J.  A.,  quotation  from,  189 
Wood,  J.  A.,  quotation  from,  189 
World  Trade  Club  answered,  130,    131, 

132,  137 
exposed,  137 

World  weights  and  measures,  '122,   125, 
150 


Z,  Mr.  exposed,  138 


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